The Red Gate
by LadyDetia
Summary: Sequel to "The Pact." The Hamato children face challenges in their training as their parents prepare them for a future trip to the Battle Nexus. Venus de Milo x All the Turtle Bros.
1. Chapter 1

(AN: I do not own any of the canon TMNT characters. Also, ojisan is the honorific for uncle in Japanese. Senpai is the honorific for upperclassmen in reference to school. It can also be used in reference to work, but none of these kids have jobs. *shrug*)

The Red Gate

Another Hamato Clan meeting. Aphrodite hated those meetings, especially lately since most of them were about her. She wasn't supposed to know that, but the young reptilian mutant had a great source of information. Her sister-cousin, Gidget, had pretty much mastered the art of stealth and had become very skilled at eavesdropping on the meetings the grown-ups had.

Donatello's daughter was already pretty nervous, and the anticipation of Gidget's report was rattling her nerves even more. She slumped down next to and old elm tree and picked at some blades of grass. She twirled a long blade between her fingers, sniffed it, glanced around, then nibbled it.

"That's just gross, Lovie."

She spit the grass out of her mouth and jumped straight to her feet as another female of her kind landed softly in front of her. Gidget stood from her crouching position with her typical arrogant smirk. Aphrodite noticed a large branch swaying above her head.

"How long were you up there?" the irritated female grumbled as she patted the dirt from the back of her olive-green thighs.

"Long enough to add to the list of your weirdness," came the yellow clad turtle's response. "Speaking of your weirdness, it came up in the meeting again today, girl." Aphrodite sighed heavily as she slumped against the tree trunk. She saw Gidget fold her arms out of the corner of her eye and fought the urge to slap that smirk off her face. "You got to get it together if you want to master your stealth training, Dites. If you don't catch up with the rest of us you'll be a genin forever. And that would totally suck ass, you know."

"Why don't you worry about your weapons training? We all know _you_ suck at _that_!" Lovie snapped as she narrowed her bi-colored eyes at her informant.

"Hey, hey, hey now! This isn't about me, babe! And don't get mad at me, I'm just the messenger. Besides, we _all _need to improve with our weapons_. _Evenmy Toki-kun, with his smexy self..." She mumbled that last part mostly to herself.

"Look, Gidge, I didn't wait here to listen to your sick fantasies..."

"They are not sick! They are beautiful and _romantic._" She fluttered her eyes with dramatic flare.

"Whatever. By the way, it's Tokio-senpai to you. Show some respect. Anyway, what exactly did they say about me in the meeting?" When her sister-cousin started shaking her head and sucking her teeth Aphrodite knew it wasn't a good sign.

"Lovie, Lovie, Lovie...I'm afraid it's bad news. If you don't shape up with the stealth training you're going to get special one-on-one training with...Leo-**ojisan!"**

**Aphrodite's expression went instantly from irritation to terror. All the kids knew that one-on-one training with Leo could be epically brutal. He never yelled at them though. He didn't need to. His steely reserve and intense work ethic were scary enough without any yelling. **

**The young mutant was filled with such despair because of the news she feared she would burst into tears. She got enough teasing from Gidget so she didn't want her adding cry-baby to her list of weirdness. She had to think of something to avoid that one-on-one training somehow, and she knew crying wasn't the answer.**

**"Gidge...what do you think I should do?" she quietly inquired, her soft voice dripping with meekness.**

**"I already told you before! Suck it up, get down in those scary tunnels, and complete your stealth training! Everybody else had to do it, so you might as well get it over with! Now stop being such a baby and quit holding us back!"**

**Aphrodite glared at Gidget, who volleyed the glare right back. The young genin knew he****r**** loudmouthed, arrogant counterpart couldn't possible understand what she was going through. She wasn't afraid of the tunnels. She wasn't even really afraid of the dark, per se. It was the things she saw with that cursed amber eye of hers that gripped her heart with fear. Her stomach clenched like a balled up fist at the very thought of what she saw the last time she stepped into the inky black shadows of the underground tunnels. It was as if the shadows had taken on a life of their own. ****And she would never forget those otherworldly eyes staring right into hers. Those eyes had sent her running and screaming out of those tunnels, ****causing her to ****fail her task completely.**

**"Why must I be such a loser?" she inquired of no one in particular as she headed back to the farmhouse. Gidget just shook her head and rolled her eyes and she followed her lavender clad sister-cousin home.**

**Meanwhile, the rest of the Hamato youngsters were having some leisure time in the family room. ****Tokio and Veronica were sitting on the couch while Ronnie played Heavenly Sword. Milan was reading a gardening magazine while Rowan stood over him while bouncing a rubber ball off this green dome. After the fifteenth ball bounce Milan reached up without looking, caught the ball in mid-air, then beaned Rowan in the eye with it in one fluid move. Row****an wobbled over to the sofa clutching his right eye, cursing under his breath as ****as Aphrodite and Gidget strolled into the room.**

**"Hey, peeps! What's up?" Gidget cheerfully greeted as she flopped down on the couch between Veronica and Tokio. Ronnie elbowed Gidget in the side before turning her attention back to the game. Gidget considered slapping the controller out of her sister-cousin's hands but decided to focus on Tokio. She turned to her right to start up a conversation only to see a grinning, dark-green face in Toki's place.**

**"Rowdy, what are you doing?" she asked in an irritated growl. Rowan didn't bother to answer her. He just snatched her mask off of her head. He quickly did the same to Aphrodite.**

**"You two forgot it was my turn to do laundry again, huh? I've been waiting for hours for you two to get back so I could get started." Gidget lowered her fist when she realized that Rowan was right. Then the rowdy nine-year-old mutant snapped her mask hard against her thigh. The chase was on. Rowan knew a beat down was coming but at least he got Gidget away from Tokio, even for just a little while.**

**By now ****Aphrodite had sat down next to Milan on the floor looking crestfallen. The serene youngster ****peeked over his magazine at his lovely companion feeling a bit sorry for her. He nudged her with his shoulder causing her to look up. When their eyes met Dites**** couldn't help but smile just the tiniest bit.**

**"What's wrong, Lovie?" She shrugged as she darted her eyes the other way. That didn't deter the young sage in training. "Hey, you wanna read this month's issue of Banzai Botanicals? Their pruning tips are off the chain." When he heard her soft giggle he knew he was making progress. He was determined to get her to open up to him. He tilted the magazine so they could share. Lovie pretended to be interested in the article until she felt Milan's eyes on her. She could tell that he was concerned about her and wanted to cheer her up, however she knew she was in no mood to talk. Besides, she was too busy enjoying the closeness and comfort of the moment.**

**The children's leisure time was short lived once the adults ended their meeting. When they saw Raphael dressed in a straw hat, cotton yukata, and a pair of brown hakama they knew it was time to go back out to work the fields. They groaned as their mother passed them their farming garments. Aphrodite noticed that she was excluded for some reason. As Raph gruffly corralled the rest of the complaining turtle offspring outside, Venus took her second oldest daughter to the side. Lo****v****ie felt a lump in her throat when she saw her father and Leonardo waiting just outside the family room looking quite grim. ****Venus draped an arm around her child's shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile.**

**"Let's go down to the dojo and talk." The shinobi mystic felt the child flinch at her words. **

**"Am I in trouble, Mami?"**

**"No, Lovie, so just relax."**

**Her mother had asked her to do the impossible. She was far from relaxed as she sat in the seiza position before her parents and uncle. As Leonardo looked over the nervous ****ten****-year-old ****he could clearly pick up on her fear. As a ninja he knew she had to learn to get control over her emotions in order to be effective in battle. Seeing that the child was a total wreck he knew she had a long way to go.**

**Donatello assessed his daughter's mood with much concern. He appreciated Aphrodite****'s**** creativity and imagination to a certain point. But her fear or the dark was hindering her training to a point that it was almost at a standstill. He knew she had to get a grip on reality and face her fears.**

**"Aphrodite." The girl mutant snapped to attention at the sound of her uncle's voice.**

**"Hai, sensei?"**

**"Do you know why you're here?" She gave a halfhearted shrug and lowered her eyes in shame.**

**"Is that a 'yes' or a 'no', Aphrodite?" She nodded, her head bobbing like a limp noodle. She didn't dare look up because she could feel the sting of tears. "Listen, you've fallen way behind in your training. I have to commend you for your great progress in your weapons and agility training. But as we all know your stealth training is lacking ****_very_**** much." She visibly winced at his emphasis. "Now if you explain what's holding you back perhaps you can finally move forward in your training."**

**Aphrodite swallowed hard as she tried to control her emotions. Her frustration with her own limitations and the others' lack of understanding was stifling****. ****After a moment she cleared her throat ****and spoke, her voice quivering with stress.**

**"I...apologize for my...uhh... immature behavior. I'm to old to be afraid of the dark, so I promise that next time I go down the tunnels I will finish the course." She clenched her fists in anger at herself for lying about being afraid of the dark. It made her look like a scared little five-year-old who needs to sleep with a teddy bear. At the same time she was afraid of telling them about ****freaky things her left eye would reveal to her in that darkness. She knew that they would say it was all in her mind. She was suddenly distracted from her thoughts by a gentle hand lifting her chin. The sight of her father's smiling face helped her relax.**

**"Don't worry, sweetie. I know you can do it. Just remember that we're h****ere to make sure no harm comes to you in the tunnels. All you need to worry about is moving in silence and achieving your goal."**

**"I know, Daddy. ****Tha****n****ks for believing in me." She rubbed an arm across her face, wiping away her tears of relief as her father planted a kiss on her forehead.**

**"I believe in you, too, Lovie," Leo stated as he stood up, his features softened by his niece's apology and promise. "That's why you'll be getting a chance to prove yourself tomorrow." Hearing that Aphrodite did her best to hide her apprehension. "But for now I need you to gear up so you can join the others in the fields. The hard work will help you focus."**

**"Hai, sensei."**

**After bowing respectfully to the three honored clan elders, she put on her farming gear and headed to the strawberry fields. As Don went to do some maintenance on the irrigation system, Venus and Leo stayed behind for a moment as they observed Aphrodite running to catch up with the others. **

**"****There's something she's not telling us, Leo."**

**"I know. Hopefully she won't keep it from us much longer."**

**"You think she saw something in the tunnels?"**

**"Most definitely. I just don't know what."**

**"Hmm...it might have something to do with that strange chi I picked up on down there."**

**"****That's possible. We'll just have to stay on our toes until we get to the bottom of that mystery."**

**The mother of six simply nodded as she put on a straw hat as she and Leo walked side by side through the lush grass. When the pair made it over the crest of the hill they were greeted by the sight of Michelangelo waving his hat, beckoning them to join the others in harvesting strawberries beneath the beaming summer sun.**

**"From the looks of this harvest we'll be enjoying Mikey's famous strawberry shortcake tonight."**

**Venus smiled at her mate's observation knowing full well that would lift her daughter's mood as well as everybody else's.**

**Next Chapter: Aphrodite finally opens up to someone about her terrifying visions. She also get one more chance to redeem herself in the underground tunnels, but it won't be easy.**

**AN: yukata- a simple garment similar to a kimono but made of cheaper fabric, like cotton. Usually worn by themselves at hot springs or public baths, sometimes underneath kimonos to protect the silk ****from body oils and sweat.**

** hakama- wide legged slacks worn over the yukata.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Aphrodite never thought in her short lifetime that she would be spending an extensive amount of time learning how to breathe. Yet here she was in the dojo with her uncle Leo doing just that. They were kneeling face to face while her sensei held a feather in front of her nostrils. Anyone who hadn't gone through Master Splinter's ninja training would have thought this was an odd sight indeed. Leo was in teaching mode so he spoke to his student using his stern, even tone.

"Now I don't want to see this feather move or hear your breath. You must master your body in order to move in silence."

Whenever he saw the slightest flutter of the feather he said "again!", "you need to relax!", and "concentrate!" After a little over an hour of staring at that damned feather Aphrodite finally got to the point where the feather didn't flutter in the slightest. She hadn't stopped breathing, she was just breathing very slowly. So slow that even the sensitive fluff of the feather didn't respond. She knew she had done something right when she got a small smile and nod of approval from her uncle. That was a victory in itself.

"Very good. Now to see how light you are on your feet."

Lovie pretty much knew what was coming when Leo picked up Splinter's walking stick. He then twisted his mask until is covered his eyes.

"Walk past me to retrieve that bowl of incense. I don't want to hear one footstep. If I do there will be consequences." Aphrodite gulped when he slapped the walking stick in the palm of his hand for emphasis. The young genin walked as softly as she could towards the other end of the dojo. She didn't get very far when she felt the sting of the stick against her calf. "Too noisy. Try again."

She looked down at her sensei in disbelief for a moment before going back to her starting point. She hadn't heard her footsteps so how did he? She tried again and got maybe two steps farther before getting whacked again. She could feel the frustration bubbling up in her gut and was starting to get that quitting feeling. "I can hear your toes curling on the tatami. Relax your feet. Again!"

After a couple more whacks on the legs Aphrodite had enough of that. She decided to try something. She stood very still until she became aware of the flow of chi in her body. Unbeknown to the other children, she had been experimenting with this awareness on her own in an attempt to gain control of the visions. That hadn't worked in that case, but she was about to find out if it had some kind of usefulness. She redirected the flow of her chi to the bottom of her feet until she felt a difference. A few moments later she felt as if she was standing on a cushion of air. When she looked down at her feet she could see that they were still in contact with the tatami. They just didn't feel like they were. Now to find out if they sounded like they were.

She took a step forward and watched to see if her uncle responded. He hadn't moved so she took another step...then another. Before she knew it she had made it to the incense bowl. She stood there in disbelief for a few seconds before picking up the bowl. She smiled as the sweet aroma filled her nostrils. When she turned she beheld her uncle lifting his mask from his eyes with a surprised expression.

"How did you...? Well, I have to admit I am impressed. Congratulations, Aphrodite. You can move on to the next phase."

The child was now beaming with joy at his praise, until she realized what he meant by the next phase. She had to go down into those tunnels for her stealth test. As she pondered whether or not she was actually ready for the test, something caught her eye. It was like a shadow of a shadow hovering behind Leonardo, who saw his student flinch and almost drop the bowl of incense. In the blink of an eye he was at her side. He could tell by the look on her face that something was wrong.

"What's wrong, Dites?" Aphrodite looked up at Leo but said nothing. Leo put a hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him. "Did you see something just now?" The girl's eyes grew wide at his comment. It was as if she had been caught doing something bad. Without a word she took off and ran out of the dojo, dropping the incense bowl along the way. "Don't forget your stealth exam at 3 p.m. today!" Leo shouted after her before sighing and shaking his head.

The distraught child ran to her father's lab. It was the first place she thought of to gather her thoughts and try to make sense of what she saw. Donatello had already left with April to go down to the river so she figured no one would disturb her in the lab. She rushed into the room out of breath and visibly shaken. She sat down in her father's office chair at the computer desk and started to spin. That spinning motion seemed to help her calm down and focus her thoughts. The young mutant nearly fell out of the chair when someone called out to her.

"Lovie? What are you doing in here?" When she spun the the chair around she saw Milan standing there with some papers in his hand.

"Uh...nothin'. Just relaxing." Milan came closer and laid the papers on the desk.

"You don't look very relaxed. What's got you all wound up?" He noticed that Lovie had gotten all squirmy in her seat when he asked that question. Milan swung the chair around so that they were facing each other. "You know I hate it when you keep stuff from me. Now tell me what's going on."

Aphrodite's brow wrinkled as she gave careful thought as to how to respond.

"Moondoggie, do you think I'm crazy...and weird?"

"Of course not! In fact I think you're pretty cool."

"Thanks, but you might not think that once I tell you..." She hesitated as she slumped in the chair.

"Tell me what?"

Aphrodite sat up in the chair and leaned towards her brother-cousin to whisper.

"Sometimes...I...can see weird things in the shadows. It's like the shadows...come alive. It's really creepy."

"Whoa, I feel ya. That sounds scary. Almost as scary as this nightmare that I had about our dads. They had this rock band, they were dressed in denim, rhinestones, and sequins, and for some reason they had no shells! Scariest dream I ever had..." Milan knew he had messed up when Aphrodite's reserve crumbled and she started to cry.

"I would have never told you if I knew you were going to make fun of me!" She sniffled as she rubbed the tears from her eyes. Milan set his hands on her shoulders to turn her to face him, his eyes pleading her to stop crying.

"No, no, no! You got it all wrong! I'm not making fun of you at all. We all got things that scare us but we can't let 'em hold us back. We gotta face our fears head on!"

"You think that what I see isn't real. That it's all a dream, don't you? Just my imagination, huh?"

"No, Lovie. I don't think that. But I do have a question. When you see these things can you feel them too?"

"Feel them? What do you mean?"

"I mean can they touch you?"

"Well, no. They never have, so I guess they can't." Milan pulled her close, leaning his forehead against hers.

"Listen. Whatever can't touch you can't hurt you, so there's no reason to be afraid of them." Hearing that caused something to click within Lovie, and the knot in her belly began to relax.

"You are so right, Moondoggie. I never thought of it like that. Thanks. I feel a little better about all this now." She showed her gratitude with a light kiss on his cheek. He returned the kiss with a surprise peck on her lips. Aphrodite sat in shock for a moment as the loosened knot in her tummy turned into a warm, tingly feeling. Her heart was pounding and her face felt hot. She suddenly felt the need to flee.

"Uh...Milan, I gotta go. Need to psyche myself up for the stealth test." The mutant boy looked very disappointed as his sister-cousin pushed past him and headed for the lab door.

"Oh, ok. Maybe you should tell Mami about the things you saw. She might be able to explain it more clearly."

"All right. I'll do that." Lovie shut the door behind her and leaned against a nearby wall. Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it would burst right out of her chest. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then slowly released it. She had to calm herself if she was going to pass this test. As she tried to understand the odd, fluttering feeling in her body, she knew she had more to talk about with her mother than those creepy living shadows.

Three o'clock couldn't come fast enough for Aphrodite. She wanted to get this stealth test over with quickly so her fellow genin wouldn't view her as the Achilles heel of the team. She stood in the dimly lit barn above the entrance to the tunnels, which was camouflaged by a huge pile of hay bales. Venus stood behind her child gently massaging her shoulders.

"All right, Lovie. Just relax your body and mind and focus on the mission. Retrieve wind scroll without alerting the guards or being seen. Ready?"

With a gulp and a nod the lavender masked genin slid open the trap door and dropped down into the darkness. It wasn't totally dark in the tunnels. Donatello had installed small lights in the walls here and there. The underground corridors weren't all completely straight and provided nooks to hide every few meters. Aphrodite moved onward in silence until she reached a corner. She used a small mirror to peek around the corner to detect the presence of a guard. So far the path was clear. As she made her way down the next corridor she heard footsteps. There were no alcoves to hide in so she had to act fast.

Raphael had come around the corner holding a paper lantern. He looked a bit bored as he patrolled the tunnel. He expected to come across a scared little genin any minute now but so far no such luck. The thought crossed his mind that Aphrodite may have made it further down the path than before.

'If that's the case she's doin' better than last time. I doubt she'll be able to get past Mikey though. She'd have to be a genius to get past Leo. Ah well, I guess I better do what I came here for.'

Raph then posted a small red flag next to a sconce on the wall as an indication to the others that Lovie had cleared the first part of the course. With a yawn he headed up to the surface. Aphrodite didn't dare breath or move a muscle until she heard the trapdoor shut. She let out a silent sigh of relief as she dropped down from the ceiling beams, kissing each of her climbing claws. She was so grateful that those little tools came in handy as she headed further into the course.

Getting past her Uncle Mike was a little trickier. He verbally taunted her as he attempted to force her to reveal herself. His erratic movements made it very difficult for the genin to stick to the shadows. At one point he got too close for comfort, so she had to resort to an aggressive tactic. She took a handful of dust and flung it into Michelangelo's eyes just as he was about to shine his lantern on her. She apologized to him inwardly as she moved closer to her goal, leaving a sputtering and cursing jonin behind her.

Soon the wind scroll was within her grasp. She could see it sitting in an alcove in one of the side rooms. What she couldn't see was Leonardo. She knew he had to be nearby and she knew she had to make her move quickly. Lovie pulled out a surgical mask she had 'borrowed' from her father's lab and tied it around the bottom half of her face. With the flick of her wrist she tossed a smoke pellet into the center of the room. Within seconds the alcove was filled with smoke. The genin didn't waste any time heading straight towards the scroll. She relied on her memory to visualize where the scroll lay in the room as the acrid smoke stung her eyes a little. As her fingers wrapped around the tubular object she felt something touch her hand. At first she thought Leonardo had caught up with her until she got a glimpse of the object. It was indeed another hand, but it was not green and scaly. It was hairy. She stifled a scream and practically flew out of the room, up the rope ladder, and out of the trap door.

When the young mutant climbed up through the hole she was in the sub-basement of the farmhouse. Everyone else (except for Leonardo) was standing there waiting for her. Most of the children looked pretty shocked that she had made it, except for Milan, who gave her a thumbs up. Donatello greeted her with open arms and beaming with pride. She knew that must mean...

"Congratulations, Lovie. You passed." Aphrodite swung around to see Leonardo had climbed up after her. His voice sounded kind of gravelly and he had a bit of a coughing fit. "I suggest you not use such a large smoke pellet in a small room in the future though."

For a moment the lavender masked turtle stood speechless as she processed her uncle's words. She eventually let out the scream she had been holding in and ran into Donatello's arms, still clenching the wind scroll in her hand. She sobbed and screamed even more when she felt her mother hug her from behind. The adults thought she was weeping for joy that she finally passed the stealth test. However, she was actually terrified by the realization that the shadows she feared had become more than just shadows. The scratches on the back of her hand bore witness to the touch of the unknown.

Next Chapter: Lovie finally tells her mother what she experienced in the tunnels. Venus and Don investigate while the other adults prep the kids for a journey to the Battle Nexus.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

On the eve of Aphrodite's stealth test, trouble was brewing in the girls' bedroom. Lovie sat on her bed looking quite miserable in spite of her success. Gidget couldn't understand why her sister-cousin was acting in such a strange manner.

"Why are you being such a cry-baby? You passed! You should be happy!"

"Leave me alone..." Lovie replied as she scratched the back of her left hand. She just wanted to be left in peace with her thoughts.

"I'll leave you alone when you stop being such a weird-ass weirdo and act normal for a change," Gidget sneered with a hand on her hip. She then balled up her fist and rubbed them against her eyes, mocking the troubled younger mutant. "Wah, wah! I'm a big baby who's scared of the dark! I suck at being a ninja so much I could just die! Bwah!"

"I said LEAVE ME ALONE!" Aphrodite jumped up from her bed to shove Gidget across the room. A now angered Gidget rushed towards Aphrodite with a cocked fist. Fortunately a strong hand stopped her mid swing. Veronica had stepped between the fighting siblings.

"You guys cut it out! This ain't the freakin' dojo! Not enough room to...Dites, what the hell happened to your hand?" Veronica was staring in horror at the gashes on the back of her sister-cousin's left hand. Aphrodite stepped back and covered her left hand with her right.

"Nuthin'...it's just a scratch..."

"That's not just a scratch, Lovie! That looks bad enough that it could get infected. Here let me take a look at it..."

"No! Just leave me the hell alone!" The flustered child pushed past the other two girls and quickly exited the room.

"Sheesh! What's her problem?" Gidget grumbled as she rubbed her shoulder.

"Like you even care! Why don't you stop being such a bitch and stop giving Lovie a hard time! You can see she's going through some shit!"

"Wha...? You got a lotta nerve talking to me like that, Ronnie!" Gidget huffed in great offense. Veronica stepped up to the mouthy mutant until they were muzzle to muzzle.

"What are you gonna do about it...Midget?" Gidget cowered as she could just about smell the wrath oozing from Ronnie's pores.

"Nuthin'," she squeaked as she quietly tip-toed over to her bed.

"That's what I thought." Ronnie punctuated her response with a loud crack of her knuckles.

Aphrodite stumbled down the hallway, her vision partially veiled by hot tears that threatened to fall down her cheeks. She did her best to blink them away as she covered the gashes on her left hand. She crossed paths with Tokio and Rowan, who were headed to the boys' room further down the hallway. Tokio greeted her but Lovie avoided eye contact so neither of the boys would see her tears.

"You ok, Lovie?"

"Yeah. Just a little tired, Toki-senpai..."

"You don't have to call me senpai when we're not training, Lovie." He smiled warmly at her as she tried to get a look at her face. He could tell from her body language she was miserable. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Where's Mami?"

"Uh, last I saw she was with Uncle Mikey."

"Ok, thanks." Lovie hurried past the boys and headed down to the grown-ups' rooms on the floor below. Tokio and Rowan stared after her for a while before heading to their room.

"Man, that chick is weird," Rowan mumbled as he headed for his bed.

"Don't say that, Rowdy," Toki scolded. "She's just really sad right now."

"But why? She passed the stealth exam. She should be friggin' happy! I know I was happy when I passed."

"Yeah, that's true. Maybe it has nothing to do with the test. Perhaps something else is bothering her."

Toki pulled back his bedsheets and peeked under his pillow, making sure his kunai was there, then got into bed.

"Well, I hope she gets over it soon cuz the way she's actin' is freakin' me out," Rowan grumbled as he flung his sheets back and hopped into bed himself.

"I know what's bothering her." The two young genin turned their attention to the other boy sitting on his bed reading a book about the paranormal.

"You do? Well let us in on the secret, Guru." Rowan propped his chin with his hand as he listened to Milan with much interest.

"I'll tell you, but you gotta promise that what I'm about to say stays in this room..." Milan glanced at each of his brother-cousins' who in turn looked at each other. Toki finally spoke up.

"Ok, we can keep a secret. Now spill it."

Michelangelo was so glad his day was going so much better than it had been earlier. It took Venus what seemed like forever to help him flush the dust out of his eyes. He understood why Lovie did what she did to pass, but damn it, that shit hurt! But now his vision was clear and he was enjoying a wonderful view. The female in his life he admired the most laid next to him looking as beautiful as ever. Her lovely eyes were half closed, and she had that cute smile of hers that he always adored. What really made his evening was her slow even strokes on his arousal. How she managed to excite him and relax him at the same time was beyond explanation in his mind. He didn't really care how. He was too busy enjoying the bliss of her magic touch.

Venus could tell how upset Mikey was about his temporary blindness. She never wanted anything to happen to his beautiful baby-blues. A discontented Michelangelo was a rare sight indeed, and she didn't like that one bit. Right now she enjoyed his peaceful expression as she gazed into his crystal clear orbs. He hissed softly as she rolled her thumb over the wet tip.

"Uhn...that feels so good, sweetness," he whispered as he leaned in for a kiss. Her mouth tasted minty and sweet as he deepened the kiss until it was as if they shared the same breath of life. Venus was his life and his love. He didn't even think about how he shared her with his brothers. Right now she was his.

Venus continued to stroke and tease his raging hard-on as Mike kissed and suckled her sensitive neck. She whimpered as at tingling sensation shot down her spine causing her little tail to twitch. Mikey was so hot and rigid in her hand she could only think of one thing. It was obvious Michelangelo was of the same mind when he started to rub higher and higher on Venus' inner thigh, inching his way to the spot he hadn't been able to enjoy for some time. When his lover slipped her hand from between his legs and began to kiss and nibble his neck Mikey knew not to let this opportunity pass. Her settled right at the opening of her willing entrance and flashed a lusty grin.

"I'm going in, baby."

He smiled even more at her breathless moan as he slowly entered her lovely body. Getting a little impatient with his teasing, Venus wrapped her legs around his carapace and pushed Mike further in. She gasped in pleasure at the sudden deep penetration, arching her back while exposing her elegant neck even more.

"Impatient, aren't we? Well, I can't disappoint you, sweet lady. Hold on..."

Once Mike had a steady rhythm going his thrust were so powerful that Venus wondered if they're bodies would bust through the mattress and break through the hardwood floor. Their frenzied lovemaking was shaking the bed so much the sex starved shinobi had to grip the brass headboard. With a gruff outcry of release Michelangelo satiated both of their hunger. They were both left panting in the sweet afterglow as Mikey rolled onto his side.

"How you feeling, sweetness?" he asked as he playfully traced a finger along her jawline.

"Mmm...like a new woman," came Venus' happy response. They both had a good natured chuckle as Mike leaned in for another kiss when there was a knock at the door. Mikey swore under his breath as Venus rolled her eyes in irritation.

"Who is it?" the young mother inquired as she sat up in bed.

"It's Lovie." Venus' brow creased with concern when she heard the troubled tone of her daughter's voice. When she cracked the door she saw Aphrodite standing there looking so pitiful, her eyes wide and moist. "Mami...I...need to talk to you...in private."

"O..ok. Meet me in the sun room in thirty minutes."

"All right. Mami?"

"Yes, Lovie?"

"Everything ok? I thought I heard noises coming from in there."

"Everything's fine, honey. Nothing for you to worry about. Now you head on downstairs and wait for me."

"Ok."

Venus watched her sad little girl walk away for a few seconds before asking Mike to prepare them a bath.

About thirty minutes later Venus went downstairs and headed for the sun room. She passed Leo and Don in the living room playing a quiet game of go. She figured Raph was still in the barn working on his Shell Cycle with Casey. When she went into the sun room she saw her second oldest daughter sitting on the wicker sofa staring at the floor. She lazily swung her legs back and forth while deep in thought. Lovie looked a bit startled when her mother sat down next to her.

"Now what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

The young genin hesitated as she gathered her thoughts.

"Is it about what you saw in the tunnels?" Shock briefly flashed across the child's face before she nodded an affirmative. "Please tell me what you saw."

"Well, the times before I would see something like shadows, but they were more like people. The weren't like normal shadows. They were more solid and would move around on their own. And one time I saw a pair of eyes at the end of one of the tunnels looking straight at me. They were sort of like my cursed eye..."

"Lovie, your eye is not cursed..."

"Yes it is! It's always showing me scary stuff, and I hate it!" By now the child's voice was strained with stress and she didn't bother holding back her tears this time. She hissed in pain as one of the salty tears fell on the back of her wounded hand. Venus was horrified when she noticed the deep gashes.

"Lovie, how did this happen?"

"It...it scratched me..."

"What scratched you?"

"There was this hand that reached for me when I got the wind scroll," Lovie sniffled. "It was hairy and had sharp claws and it scratched me." Lovie leaned against her mother's plastron as silent tears streamed down her cheeks. It was such a relief that someone besides Milan was listening to her, but there was one thing she had to know for sure.

"Mami, you believe me, right? You don't think I'm making things up, do you?"

"Of course not," her mother responded as she held her distraught child in a loving, comforting embrace. "I believe every word. I just wish you had told me sooner. Listen, your daddy and I are going to check out the tunnels so we can figure out what's going on. Right now I want you to go to bed and get some rest." Lovie nodded in obedience as Venus kissed her on the top of her head.

Aphrodite went to her bedroom while Venus had a discussion with Donatello and Leonardo in the living room. The genin felt a lot better now that she had confided in her mother. Whatever that thing was had it coming to it now that her mami and daddy were on the case. For the first time in weeks Aphrodite got some much needed sleep.

She rested peacefully into the wee hours of the night. At around 4 a.m. She was awakened by a sound like soft weeping. When she opened her eyes she thought she saw someone sitting on her bed. Once her vision cleared she sat straight up at the sight of a small person kneeling near the foot of her bed. It was the size of a small child and had dark brown fur. The fur on its head was brown an bushy with two long beaded braids on each side. Its clothes were an odd looking tunic made of soft looking fabric in earthy tones of green and brown. It had its face in it's hands as if it were weeping. Aphrodite's breath caught in her throat as the creature slowly lifted its head. Lovie froze when a pair of golden brown eyes locked her own. She recognized those eyes immediately. Then something the mutant child did not expect to happen occurred. The creature spoke in a voice so soft and sorrowful she couldn't help but melt.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just trying to get your attention. You seem to be the only one who can see us..." The tiny creature paused to look over its shoulder as if it heard something from behind. Lovie got the feeling that this person was a female, young, and scared like her. A moment later the strange being faced her one again with eyes full of fear. "Please help us get past the red gate! We can't run forever!" The fuzzy being quickly stood up and faded from view. Aphrodite sat there slacked jawed before scooting back under her covers. She knew it was futile for her to try to go back to sleep now. How in the world was she going to explain this to her mother?

Next chapter: Don and Venus make an interesting discovery in the tunnels as Lovie tries to figure out how to get in contact with that strange girl. Also, the Hamato Clan makes a trip back to the old lair and meet up with some old friends.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

At sunrise Leo, Raph, and Mike took the kids out for a run in the forest. It was late August and they were having a bit of a heatwave that week. The weather was pleasant early in the morning, so the adults decided it was best that the kids got some fresh air and exercise before the unbearable midday heat. Aphrodite was still a bit sleepy from her rough night, but she was feeling pretty good in spite of it all. Her father had dressed and bandaged her wounded left hand the night before, and had promised her that he would find out what was going on in those tunnels. That put her troubled mind at ease. She couldn't help thinking about that fuzzy girl though. She was small and cute like a plushie, not scary at all once Lovie finally got a good look at her. She also looked so scared. The young mutant wondered where she came from and what had her so frightened.

As most of the children ran on the ground with Leo and Raph, Mike and his twins took the more difficult path through the thick canopy of trees. Gidget was having so much fun leaping from bough to branch, it looked as if her face would split in half from the huge grin on her face. So far Milan was in the lead. Veronica picked up the pace on the ground to catch up with her agile brother-cousin above. Rowan sped up too. He was determined not to let either one of him beat him. In spite of all their efforts to catch up, Michelangelo was the winner of this race. Milan landed right behind his father in a close second, followed by Veronica. Soon most of the ninja clan was gathered in a familiar clearing. When Raphael dropped the pack off of his back in an in-ceremonious heap the kids knew what was coming.

"Uh, oh. Is that what I think it is?"

"It sure is, Gidge," Raphael replied as he pulled out a hand full of shuriken. "Target practice!" Ronnie and Toki cheered while the others moaned. Tokio and Veronica had the best aim after all. "Ok, since you complained the most, you go first, Gidget."

"Why don't you just kill me now," the yellow clad genin muttered as she prepared to make a complete fool of herself. She had the worst aim of all of them so far. Leonardo had placed targets on a number of trees with some senbon (large needles).

"All right, little lady, it's show time!" Raphael gave his niece a good natured bump on the shoulder, to which Gidget laughed weakly in response. With shuriken in hand the genin took aim at the target closest to her and let the throwing star fly. Not only did she miss the target, she missed the tree. With a shake of his head Leonardo retrieved the shuriken wedged in the soil. As if Gidget wasn't embarrassed enough, Veronica made it worse by laughing at her. Gidget ground her teeth as she whipped around to glare at Ronnie.

"I'd like to see you do better!" she growled in annoyance.

"Oh, I can't help but do better, sweetheart, cuz I'm the BEST!" Ronnie picked up three shuriken then quickly, and casually, threw them north, east, then west. She didn't even look to see that she had hit all three targets in the center. She put her hand in Gidget's face as she swaggered over to Raph to give her dad a high-three.

"Now Ronnie, you should be humble," Leonardo scolded with a smile as he retrieved the small, sharp weapons. "And don't you encourage her inflated ego, Raph."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatevah, Fearless," the proud father scoffed as he hugged his daughter from behind.

Michelangelo thumped his moping daughter on the back of the head while they stood to the side. Tokio was taking his turn. Since he was in competitive mode he prepared to break Ronnie's record with four shuriken at once. Mikey got his daughter in a gentle headlock as he poked one of her chubby cheeks. He was trying to get her to smile, but she was too busy being embarrassed by her terrible performance.

"Cheer up, Baby Girl. You'll get better. You just have to keep practicing. None of us were born being good at things."

"Looks like Ronnie was," Mike's daughter replied with a pout.

"That's not true. Ronnie just trains with weapons more than you do. Kind of how you train at spying on us grown-ups when we have meetings in the dojo." Gidget slouched even more as if she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "I can't believe you thought we didn't notice, Gidge. Anyway, each of us is good at something. Some are better than others, but that's ok. When we work together as a team all our strengths outshine our weaknesses. So don't hate, celebrate! Try showing some support for the others and you just might learn from them. They could learn a thing or two from you as well."

The young ninja let her father's word's marinate momentarily before walking over to Veronica. Gidget watched her twin brother practice for a few seconds before nudging Ronnie with her elbow.

"Hey...uh...you did really great with those shuriken. Maybe you could show me how to improve my technique."

Veronica turned to her sister-cousin to stare at her as if she had grown a third eyeball. Gidget never complimented anybody but Tokio. And she certainly never asked anyone but her father for training advice. Ronnie just knew her sister-cousin had to be up to something.

"What are you trying to say, Midget?"

"I'm not trying to say anything. I'm saying plain and clear...I'd like you to show me how to get better. That's all."

"For reals?"

"Yeah."

"No foolin'?"

"Yes, Ronnie! Don't make me have to beg, okay!" Gidget didn't think she could handle any more embarrassment.

"All righty! I'll show ya. The secret to good aim is all in the wrist, baby!" The pink clad turtle began her quickie lesson as she retrieved a handful of shuriken from Raphael's weapon's pack. As Gidget paid close attention to Ronnie's advice she realized that she liked getting along with her rival better than butting heads with her.

While the kids trained with the other adults, Venus and Donatello were in the underground tunnels investigating Aphrodite's claims. Venus shone a large flashlight along the walls and floor a Don took readings from his EMF (electro-magnetic field) meter.

"Hmm...this is interesting."

"What is it, Donnie?"

"Well, the readings jump exponentially when we get to certain spots in the tunnels. There's pockets of activity here and there, but the increase is the greatest in the areas where Lovie said she saw something."

"I see. Donnie, I want to try something. Hold the flashlight for a moment." Donatello did so as Venus pulled a stack of paper sheets from a pouch around her waist. She then spoke a brief chant in Mandarin before pressing one of the slips of paper against the wall. "Check the meter now." Don did just that and cocked a brow at the new reading.

"It's the same as the surrounding areas. Isn't that...?"

"A shinobi talisman...for sealing evil spirits."

"Oh...I don't know how it worked but it's clearly stabilized the magnetic field in that area. I guess that means we should move on to the next spot."

Altogether the pair found seven areas of increased electro-magnetic activity. The last was in the alcove where the wind scroll had been. That's where the EMF readings were the highest. Donatello could tell by Venus' demeanor that she was suddenly very uncomfortable.

"There's clearly a foreign presence here. This chi I sense is like nothing I've ever felt before. I'll even go as far to say that it's...alien."

Without hesitation Venus pulled out more talisman's and got to work on her sealing spell. It took seven talismans to get normal readings on the EMF.

"Ok, looks like everything's normal here. Good job, V." Donatello kissed her cheek in celebration of her success, yet Venus couldn't shake the feeling that perhaps she had done something wrong. She could have sworn that right before she placed the final seal she heard a child's voice begging her to stop.

In the following few weeks the atmosphere in the Hamato household was a little different. There was much less squabbling among the children and the adults could tell that they were taking their training much more seriously. It was decided that now would be a good time to expose the youngsters to their family roots. After years of planning the mutant parents were taking their offspring back to New York. The three younger children (Aphrodite, Rowan, and Veronica) had never been in the abandoned subway tunnels. The older three (Tokio, Milan, and Gidget) were born there but were too young to remember it before their family moved into the farmhouse.

The kids were very excited about the trip. They spent the next few days trying to decide what they would take with them. Leonardo told them to only take what they could carry in their utility pouches, besides their weapons of course. That left very little room for frivolous objects. So they each decided to take one precious item with them. Tokio packed his Gold Ranger from Power Ranger's Samurai. It was precious to him because his father gave it to him years ago for his fifth birthday. It looked a bit faded and worn, but that was from all the hours of playtime he had with it. Milan packed a replica of Mikey's talisman from the Ninja Tribunal. He loved hearing his dad tell him about his adventures with his uncles and the other acolytes. Gidget brought along a little pink journal Ronnie had given to her when they were seven years old. She and Veronica had drawn a picture of the two of them playing together on the first page. Gidget quickly stuffed the journal in her pouch before anyone else could see it.

Aphrodite packed a pretty purple butterfly clip her mother had given to her to clip to her lavender mask. She thought it was too pretty to wear and she was afraid that if she wore it she would lose it. She liked to look at it every once in a while though. Veronica packed her current favorite shade of nail polish. Smokin' Hot Pink was the color of the month for now. Rowan snuck his favorite novel, David Copperfield, into his pouch. He was looking forward to reading it for the twelfth time whenever he got the chance.

A few days later the time had finally come for their three hour trip to New York City. Fueled by excitement, the children helped the packing of supplies in the van go quickly and smoothly. Soon the Hamato Clan was on the road with Raphael taking the lead on his Shell Cycle. As expected they traveled under cover of night. Raph had on his Night Watcher gear, but the others had decided to go au natural. It was more comfortable for them that way. Donatello was pleased to see that their opener to their secret garage was still functioning, all thanks to Leatherhead, who had been maintaining and temporarily occupying the Turtles' old lair.

In fact, the aforementioned mutant gator was right there waiting with warm greetings for all. His old terrapin friends seemed overjoyed to see him, but the children didn't look to ohappy. He figured it was because they hadn't seen him face to face for a couple years. The gentle giant gator knelt down to speak to the turtle children.

"You guys look so troubled. What's wrong?"

"It's stinks down here," Tokio replied. "Now I think I know why I forgot this place."

"Aww, c'mon! It's not that bad!" Michelangelo piped in. "Besides, all the stinkiness is out in the sewage tunnels, not in here." All the kids gave the energetic ninja a funny look. "Well, most of the stinkiness." More stares. "Eh, gotta admit it doesn't smell as good as the farmhouse. Anyway...LH, my mutant! Love what you've done with the place!"

As Leonardo and Venus helped the children get settled a familiar voice was heard coming from down one of the hallways.

"LH, I finished flushing the system in the basking area. Have the others gotten...? Oh, you're here!"

In a flash all the kid's faces brightened as they rushed toward their good friend with shouts of "Dr. O!" Aphrodite made it to Atima first and squeezed the human woman around the waist.

"Lovie, it's good to see you!" Soon five other children were tugging at her and hugging her. "It's great to see all of you! I missed you too!" It wasn't long before the little ones were bombarding her with questions.

"When did you get back from Kenya? Did you get to see Mr. Faraji? Where's Cleo? Did you bring us souvenirs?" The herpetologist couldn't help but laugh at the lively interrogation. Soon Donatello had to rescue her from the veritable avalanche of childish enthusiasm.

"C'mon, kids. Don't smother the good doctor. You'll have plenty of time to catch up. Now go help unload the supplies from the van." There was a collective groan as the children obeyed. "So, Atima, what brings you here to the mysterious underground?" Donatello inquired in a slightly teasing tone.

"Well you had told me you guys planned on coming back here someday so I've been helping LH now and then to help maintain the comfortable environment you had set up. It wasn't that hard. It's pretty much the same as maintaining the reptile habitat at the aquarium, just on a larger scale."

"Wow. You really didn't have to do all that, Atima."

"Oh, it's no problem at all. Besides, I had to come up with some kind of excuse to see you." The human gently pulled her mutant friend into a warm hug. "I really missed you."

"We all missed you, Atima," Don responded with a smile as he rested his head on her shoulder. He noticed the woman's bosom heave slightly with a sigh.

"Yeah, I missed you all too...but I really, really missed you, Donnie." A now wide eyed Donatello's heart leaped as the brown skinned woman hugged him just a little closer. Donatello stood up straight, breaking their embrace, and gently pushed Atima back by her shoulders. His breath caught in his throat as she tilted her head coyly with a sweet little smile on her full lips.

"Atima...I...uh..." Donnie stammered until his jumbled thoughts were interrupted by a thick Brooklyn accent.

"Ey, Donnie! Why don't you save da geek speak for latah and help us unload dese supplies!"

"Right! I hear ya Raph. I'm on my way!" Atima offered to help but Don insisted that she had done enough and should relax. He didn't admit it out loud, but he really wanted to wrap his mind around the weird territory he and his fellow scientist were now dancing around.

Later that night the children had settled down for bed in the many alcoves on the Lair. Aphrodite lay awake. The new environment was going to take her some getting used to. As she listened to all the strange hissing, rumbling, and dripping noises her mind wandered to that odd little girl she had seen on her bed. It had been a while since she had heard from her or even seen any signs of her. She couldn't forget that terrified look in her eyes right before she vanished. Lovie didn't understand it but she wanted so badly to find that girl and help her somehow. She frowned at the realization that she had no idea where to start.

Next Chapter: The Hamato children train and learn about some of their family history pertaining to the Battle Nexus. Also, Don and the good doctor have a little private talk.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The morning was a bit awkward for the Hamato children. They were used to waking with the sunrise at the farmhouse. Right now they were underground so there was no sunrise. There was no summer breeze fluttering the curtains as they slowly opened their eyes to greet a new day. This time there were the same hisses, drips, and metallic rumblings from the night before, so it really threw them off. If it wasn't for Leonardo and Donatello jostling them from their slumber they would probably have slept through the day.

Tokio yawned and rubbed his eyes as Venus led all the children to the basking room to bathe. His jaw dropped when he beheld the size of the massive churning pool of water in the center of the room. This place seemed vaguely familiar to him.

"Toki, you used to play with your father here when you were just a hatchling."

"Tou-san and I used to play here..." Leo's only son whispered in awe as he stepped into the gently churning waters. The kids were loving the basking room already. It was so warm and humid. A very comfortable environment for their reptilian bodies. Venus smiled to herself as she remembered how her eldest was conceived in this very pool, but she kept that information to herself of course.

Pretty soon the kids were having a great time splashing and swimming in the basking pool. It was the most fun they ever had at bath time in their short lives. Things really started to get wild when Michelangelo did a cannon ball right in the center of the pool. Leonardo shook his head and laughed as he laid a stack of bath towels on a nearby bench.

"Leave it to Mikey to turn bath time into a pool party," Raphael grumbled before a smile broke out on his face.

"Raph, what are you smiling about?"

"This!" Raph shouted as he bumped his older brother into the huge water basin. Unfortunately for Raph, Leo had grabbed his hotheaded brother's arm as he fell, taking Raphael with him and causing a tremendous splash.

"Heh, just like old times," Donatello mused before he dove in and joined the splash party. The kids thought the sight of their parents acting like a bunch of children was hilarious. It took their minds off the fact that they were in a strange smelling, unfamiliar environment. Dr. Okonkwo entered the basking room and gave the playful family a friendly wave.

"Hey, Atima!" Mikey called out. "Come join us in the water, babe!"

"Oh, I'm afraid I'm not dressed for that, Michelangelo," the human responded, pointing out her cotton tee and khaki capris.

"Sweetheart, this is a bath! Just take off your clothes and jump in!" Mikey winced when he felt three smacks on the back of his head. "What? Who the hell wears clothes to take a bath? And what's the big deal? All of _us_ are naked!" Donatello slapped a hand over his sibling's mouth then pushed his head underwater.

Dr. Okonkwo politely declined as she made her way over to one of the heated basking spots. Leatherhead was there stretched out on his belly with his eyes shut. Atima quietly sat next to his enormous midsection and leaned against him. The human noticed when one of his slit eyes popped open and looked back at her.

"Sorry to disturb you, LH," the herpetologist apologized as she affectionately patted and rubbed the mutant scientist.

"No need to apologize, my friend," the gator replied as an animalistic rumble escaped his powerful jaws. Atima supposed that was his version of a yawn as he opened his gaping jaws. It was a magnificent sight to behold. Terrifying if one didn't know how gentle the mutant could be. "So, did you finally work up the courage to tell him?"

"In a way..."

"I take that as a 'no', Doctor."

"I told him that I missed him...more than the others. From his reaction I don't think he took it too well."

"Why do you say that?"

"He pushed me away and cut the conversation short."

"Hmm...perhaps he just a bit confused about your confession?"

"You're probably right. I should be patient and not rush things."

The pair got quiet at the sound of wet footsteps. They colleagues looked up to see Donatello standing above them with a towel around his neck.

"Morning, LH."

"Good morning, Donatello."

"I didn't get a chance to thank you for maintaining the Lair for all this time."

"No thanks needed. It was an honor and a pleasure." Leatherhead quirked a scaly brow when he noticed a humorous spark in his turtle friend's eyes. "What?"

"You two sure are looking cozy..." Atima sat up with a small frown as Leatherhead simply closed his eyes and and turned his head towards the wall. Donatello turned his attention to Atima. "Hey, how long do you plan to be here?"

"As long as you see fit. Why? You want me to leave?"

"No. Actually could you stick around for the rest of the day? I'm going to need your help in the lab. But if you have something else to do..."

"Not at all. I still have a few more days of vacation. I'd be happy to help you out."

"Great. Join me in the lab after breakfast."

Atima smiled and nodded as she watched Donatello walk away. Her smile slowly melted from her face as she was overcome with a feeling of dread. She would rather hope for the best, but she was prepared for pain.

After breakfast Leonardo gave the kids a tour of the Lair. The first place he took them was the dojo. The little ones were in awe of the size of it compared to their dojo at the farmhouse. Tokio was fascinated by an area with bamboo stalks of different shapes and lengths poking up from the floor.

"I know what this is for, tou-san! It's to test and improve balance!"

"That's right, Toki-chan. Want to try it?" The turtle boy watched as his father made his way across the pole path with much ease. Toki followed with much effort. He was a bit wobbly as he tried to balance on each thin pole on one foot. It wasn't long before he tumbled to the floor. He grunted as he put a hand on the back of his head as his father reached down to help him up. "You did pretty good for your first time. It gets easier with practice." Tokio bowed his head to hide his embarrassment when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Veronica was staring at him while holding Raph's punching bag as her twin brother pummeled it with blows. When Rowan landed a particularly hard blow to the bag the power of his punch knocked his sister off balance. Ronnie fell back on her shell, then quickly jumped back to her feet scowling at her brother.

"Why'd you hit it so friggin' hard, Rowdy?" she yelled.

"Cuz it's a _punching_ bag! You're 'sposed to hit it hard, ya moron!"

"I'll show you a moron!"

Rowdy was about to point out that his sister's outburst made no sense when she started pelting him with rolls of bandages. Leonardo broke up their little tussle so he could continue the tour. He ended the tour in a nice sized room in the east wing of the Lair. Long shelves lined the walls on each side of them. The kids oohed and ahhed at the sight of the objects on the shelves. Toki's was left speechless as she held the helmet of the long vanquished Shredder. Milan was all smiles when Leo put Mikey's amulet from the Tribunal around his neck. Aphrodite couldn't believe she was looking at The Dragon Lord's claw nestled in a box made of jade. After some exploring of the memorabilia all the children's attention focused on a small shrine at the end of the room. There was a small wooden table with two photos resting atop. One was of a handsome Japanese man with a rat on his shoulder. The other was of a Large mutant rat surrounded by four young turtle tots.

"Isn't that...Splinter jii-san?"

"Yes, Gidget. That's him." Leonardo grew very quiet as his expression become very serious. He knelt down in front of the table and opened the drawer. He pulled out a ceramic bowl and a small pouch. He pulled out some incense, lit it, then set the bowl in front of the two photos. He clapped his hands together twice then bowed his head. A moment later the children caught on and did the same.

"Yoshi-sensei, Splinter-sensei...otou-san...we will forever honor your memory and uphold your teachings. We refuse to bring shame to the Hamato Clan."

The kids hadn't noticed the rest of the adults (sans Donatello) had joined in the prayer. They were focused on the head of the Hamato clan as he stood and faced them.

"Children, I need you to listen to me very carefully. You've all been training very hard since you were able to walk and speak. You may not realize it but all that training has a purpose. As ninja you need exposure to different experiences to help you improve tactics. Your mother, fathers, and I have been discussing something for a long time. We believe you are ready for a whole new level of experience. So we've decided to take you to the Battle Nexus." There was an outburst of excited gasps and cheers, but Leonardo put up a hand to demand silence. "You are only going there to observe for now. You are nowhere near ready for actual combat." The cheers morphed into disappointed groans. "Don't look so disappointed. After all, you'll get to see your fathers compete with some of the greatest warriors in the multiverse. Now how does that sound?" This time there were smiles all around.

Meanwhile, Donatello and Atima were busy in his lab. Atima suspected that Don was only trying to _look_ busy in order to avoid speaking to her. He was actually just trying to give himself time to gather his thoughts. Finally, the African scientist slammed down the can of air in her hand and huffed in frustration.

"Damn it, Donnie, I know you didn't bring me in here so I could blow dust from between your keyboard keys. So, could you please just...talk to me?" Her agitated voice softened with that request.

"I'm sorry, Atima." Don walked toward her scratching the back of his bald green head out of nervous habit. "I really do need to talk to you. I just needed time to figure out what I wanted to say."

"Donnie..." Her words caught in her throat as her friend took her hands in his.

"Tell me, Ati...how you really feel about me. No games and no hint dropping. I want the whole truth."

The woman took a deep breath and looked the turtle straight in the eye.

"I care about you very much, Don. I enjoy being around you and spending time with you. You're one of the few people I know that accept me for who I am, not just my intellect and academic connections."

"Wow, I'm pretty flattered by that. I really enjoy spending time with you too. But I can tell you're holding back. We've been friends far too long for that." Don ran his thick fingers over Atima's knuckles and lightly squeezed her hands. "C'mon. Say what you really want to say...please."

"Donnie...I..." She paused as she lifted one of Donatello's hand to her soft, full lips and gave it a light kiss. "I wish we could be together as more than friends." She quickly turned away in an attempt to shield herself from any imminent rejection.

"Atima, you do know I love Venus, right?" His voice was soft and comforting, but that gentleness did nothing to stop that stabbing feeling in her heart.

"Yes, I know. But I don't understand it. Why would you settle for 25% when you can have 100%?" Don frowned a little when he heard to pain in his dear friend's voice. "Her love is divided amongst you and your brothers. There's not way she could give you all her heart. But I..." Her voice trailed off as she hung her head. "I could give you my all. You deserve it, after all."

Donatello lifted the woman's chin revealing her tear stained cheeks. Her face was contorted with a mixture of adoration, frustration, and hurt. He brushed the tears from her cheeks as he felt his own heart ache. He had never seen his dear friend in such a state. He leaned forward until their foreheads touched.

"Atima, that is the sweetest thing any woman has ever said to me." He kissed her on the tip of her nose. "We've known each other for a very long time, and I never expected _you_ to say something like that to me. I know you're probably hoping that I'll return you're feelings, but..."

"Donnie stop! Don't say it! I...don't think I can take it." Atima tried to pull away but Donatello pulled her back into an embrace. Atima relaxed in his arms as he stroked her dark curls.

"I think you are a beautiful, intelligent, caring, hardworking, considerate woman who deserves to be adored."

"Donnie, please don't..." she whimpered as her tears once again began to fall.

"Just give me a chance to figure some things out, ok? You know me. I hate hurting the people I love. Including you."

The herpetologist was stunned into silence by his admission.

"Listen, Ati. My clan is going on a trip within the next few days. We'll be gone for some time. It could be days, or even weeks. Why don't we talk about this after I get back. That will give both of us time to ponder some things. Don't want to make any hasty decisions when it comes to matters of the heart."

Atima swallowed the lump in her throat as she felt a bit of relief. Her heart leaped at the thought that she could actually have a chance to have a closer relationship with Donatello. She frowned when she realized something.

"Donnie, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner."

"No use feeling sorry about past mistakes. Can't change the past after all. Just be glad you did finally tell me." With a warm smile Don gave her a kiss on the forehead.

Atima decided it was time for her to go home to check on her pet cayman, monitor lizard, and python. She didn't want to admit she wanted to avoid any night time temptation from being close to Donatello. Besides, she agreed that they needed some time apart to make up their minds about each other. In the meantime, Donatello's focus was on preparing for the long awaited return to the Battle Nexus. The last time they were there he experienced the loss of his beloved sensei and father. His heart ached at the thought of setting foot there again because of that bitter memory.

Next Chapter: The Hamatos go to the Battle Nexus and have an interesting encounter right before disaster strikes!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Three days after their arrival in the Turtles old lair the Hamato children didn't need to be awakened for their eminent journey to the Battle Nexus. The entire clan had gathered in the basking room so Donatello and Leonardo could perform the ritual to open the gateway to their destination. Leatherhead and Dr. Okonkwo were there to bid them farewell. The children showered the two scientists with hugs as Don drew the familiar circle of runes on a nearby wall while Raph poured a cup of water on the floor beneath the symbols.

Once Leo began the chant Venus called the children over to stand nearby. The shinobi mystic couldn't help feeling anxious about returning to her former training grounds. She was in no hurry to go back to the place where she saw her mentor, Pacha, disintegrate before her eyes along with Splinter. She still carried one of Pacha's hair beads with her. That was all that remained of her beloved sensei in the healing arts. Venus was a bit fearful about taking the children there. However, Leonardo had stayed in contact with the Daimyo over the years. So far that bizarre phenomenon had not happened since that fateful night. It still didn't sit well with Venus that the event was still under investigation to this day.

Mere seconds after Leo recited the chant the puddle of water defied gravity and swept up the wall towards the runes. The water and runes combined to form a bluish, swirling, glowing gateway. The children had never seen anything like it, so they were very apprehensive. Leonardo took his son by the hand and coaxed him through. In an instant they vanished from the others' sight. Mikey went next with his twins, who were clinging to him for dear life. He spoke words of comfort and reassurance as he pulled them in after him. Veronica dared to step one foot through on her own, then paused. When she began to have second thoughts Raphael gently pushed her the rest of the way, then scooped up Rowan to carry him on through. Aphrodite held fast to her father with her eyes shut tight as Donatello escorted her to the other side. Venus gave Leatherhead and Atima a quick wave goodbye before following the others. Within seconds the gateway collapsed on itself and closed behind the Hamato clan.

No matter how many times he had came to the amazing alternate dimension, Leonardo always had to take a moment to adjust to to the Battle Nexus. The color of the sky looked as if it was ablaze with the passion and energy of the warriors that gathered there every three Earth years. His face bore a stern expression as he scanned the harsh, dramatic landscape.

"Kids, welcome to the Battle Nexus."

The children took in the sight of the intimidating landscape. The trees looked like shards of giant, discarded weapons and the sky appeared to be angry. The young mutants were having some serious second thoughts about coming to this place.

"Tou-san, where is everybody else?" Tokio inquired as he flinched when a sleek bird of prey soared overhead.

"Most likely they are in the arena. But there's a possibility that there are preliminaries being held in the outskirts. That being said I need all of you to stay close to us adults. Do not wander off for any reason!"

The adults formed a protective circle around the children to defend them from all sides. Although this wasn't a war zone, if one should stumble upon a preliminary match things could get dangerous very quickly. All the children knew things were serious when all of their parents drew their weapons.

As the ninja clan made their way through the jagged landscape sounds of battle could be heard in the distance. A wave of nervousness was felt among the children, who now had all their weapons drawn too. Gidget cried out at the sound of a loud clang.

"Everyone GET DOWN!" The other adults responded quickly to their leader's command as they pulled the children down with them. A mere second later a terrible whoosh followed by a loud crashing sound shook the ground around them. "Everybody up and follow me!"

Leo didn't have to tell them twice to run like hell. Milan glanced back as he fled to see a monstrous creature with six arms make it's way over to a huge battle ax lodged in the remains of a demolished tree. As the creature retrieved its weapon, another large being Milan could only describe as a cross between a praying mantis and a werewolf attacked the first with a scythe-like weapon. Since the mutant boy wasn't watching where he was going he hadn't realized the others had stopped running. He bumped into Rowan's shell. He rubbed his muzzle as he turned to follow everyone else's gaze.

"I think we're far enough away from the battle, now," Leo explained as the six armed warrior fell to his opponent with a painful groan. Just then there was a flash of light from which a colorful, floating being appeared. Its skin was chalky white and it was dressed in an exotic, blue, red, and gold outfit. It also held an odd instrument in its right hand. It appeared to be a wooden paddle with two balls on strings hanging from the side. The being began turning the paddle from side to side causing the balls to clack against the paddle with the rhythm of its wrist movement. The hovering humanoid spoke, but the mouth on its mask-like face did not move.

"Victory Hagingin of Vector Prime over Buung of Qwem'dok." The floating being turned to the mantis-wolf creature and bowed. "Congratulations. You have qualified to compete in the Battle Nexus Championship." It then turned to the fallen warrior, who was now getting up from the ground and dusting off his clothing. "I am sorry, Buung. You do not qualify to move to the next stage. You may return in the next cycle to try once again. Thank you for your participation."

Buung responded in a language that sounded like a garbage disposal grinding up piglets before lumbering off. Leonardo gave his clan the signal that it was safe to approach their previous path.

"Hey, Dad, who are those guys," Rowan inquired as Raphael lifted Veronica into his arms. Ronnie's legs were still wobbling from the terrifying experience of nearly being decapitated by a battle ax.

"The floating guy with the white face is called Myoji. He's like the referee during the tournament. As for those other guys, they're here for the competition. That's all I can tell ya cuz I nevah seen 'em before."

As the Hamatos approached Myoji became fully aware of their presence. He floated over to greet Leo, who had since sheathed his katana on his back.

"Greeting, Hamato Leonardo of Third Earth. Welcome once again to the Battle Nexus."

"Thank you for the welcome, honorable Myoji," came Leo's humble reply with a polite bow.

"I see your entourage has grown since we last spoke. And Chung Mei Pieh Chi, it is good to see you once again. Your presence in the Healers' Pavilion has been sorely missed." Venus responded with a simple nod of acknowledgement. Leonardo then proceeded to introduce the children to Myoji. "It is very nice to meet all of you. It's not often we get visitors as young as you here. Fortunately you have ample protection."

"Well, when you have a two-time Battle Nexus Champion among you..." Michelangelo began with a bragging tone, until Raphael elbowed him hard in the side.

"Can it, Mikey!" Raph growled before getting the ethereal referee's attention. "Hey, Myoji, it's a bit of a ways to the arena. Could you maybe help us out and transport us there?"

"Why, of course, Raphael-san. That would be no problem at all. I just need everyone to gather close."

Myoji swirled his paddle in a circle forming an expanding, glowing bubble which engulfed the Hamato Clan. In the blink of an eye they were transported to the merchant area outside of the arena walls. Leonardo thanked Myoji before he winked out to tend to his many duties.

As expected, things were very busy in the battle Nexus market place. There were so many booths where all kinds of items were sold, such as weapons, food, and armor. There was even a booth for spectators to place bets on the tournament participants. One booth in particular caught Aphrodite's eye. It was very ornate compared to the other booths and was painted with bright and cheerful colors. The young genin noticed that her mother had paused there too, and that there was sadness in her eyes.

"Mami, do you know this place?"

"Yes. It's called Pacha's Potions. It belonged to my sensei in the healing arts."

"Oh..." Lovie hesitated to ask anything else of her mother. Venus had mentioned Pacha to her a few times before, but never really went into detail about what happened to her. All the children knew of her was that Pacha taught their mother how to make herb medicine and magic powders. As for her fate, details were very sketchy. All Her mother would say is that Pacha just disappeared one day. Lovie could see the subject was making her mother sad so she dropped it and ran to catch up with the others.

Once she caught up with the rest of her family Lovie saw her father and uncle Leo talking to a white samurai rabbit.

"Ah! It's Usagi-san!" Venus chimed with a warm smile.

"I remember Leo-ojisan telling us about him. Wow! We get to meet him in real life!"

Usagi was quite happy to see his old friends and their offspring. They hadn't seen each other in quite some time, so Leonardo invited his fellow swords master to join his family for a meal later on. After the Hamatos managed to get settled in their temporary quarters Leonardo went to fetch his friend. They conversed on the way to the Hamato's quarters.

"So, Leonardo-san, how does it feel to be back in the Nexus after a decade?"

"I must say that it is a bit surreal."

"I am a bit surprised that you returned after what happened here so long ago." Usagi's serious expression grew even more so when he noticed Leo's mood had quickly darkened.

"I don't know what makes it harder to deal with; seeing my sensei taken from me like that or not knowing what happened. I just...wish there was some way to find out."

"Perhaps there is hope for that, my friend. During the past two tournaments I have been hearing that there has been progress in the investigation into The Event."

"Really? What have you heard?"

"As you know there were other families that also suffered loss that fateful day. Their loved ones also vanished under different circumstances, but they all had one thing in common. There was a strange woman in green nearby when it happened. How about you, Leonardo-san? Did you observe anything like that when your sensei vanished?"

"To be honest I was too busy going out of my mind to notice anything like that. Maybe one of my brothers did. I'll have to ask them."

After dinner the adults put the children to bed before coming together with Usagi for a meeting of the minds. The seasoned samurai recounted what he had told Leonardo.

"So, did you guys see anything like that?" Leo inquired of his siblings and mate.

"Sorry, Leo. I was in such shock at the time I wasn't really aware of what was going on around us." Don's shoulders slumped as he regretted not being much help.

"I felt a burst of destructive chi in the area then, but I was too busy trying to find the source to notice any other people." Venus laid a comforting hand on top of Leo's. She could see he was clearly upset by the whole conversation. She never forgot that look of madness in his eyes once he realized his beloved father was gone. It was as if he had also died that day.

"Raph, what about you?" The red-clad ninja clenched his jaw and balled his fists against his knees.

"I don't even get why we're talkin' about dis! It's not like it'll bring Splintah back! We should...we should just let him and Pacha rest in peace!" Raph suddenly stood up, his eyes moist from distress. "I don't wanna talk about this any more." No one spoke another word until after Raph stalked out of the room. That's when Michelangelo spoke in an uncharacteristically timid tone.

"I think I might have seen her. I remember seeing this lady in green standing nearby right before Master Splinter and Pacha disappeared. The only reason I noticed her was that she looked like she didn't belong. She was really pretty..." Everyone grew quiet once again as they volleyed furtive glances.

"Brothers...Mei-chan...I know that it won't bring them back...but I want to know what happened. It's been eating at me for all these years, and I'm sure you've all suffered too." Leo squeezed Venus' hand as he fought to keep his tears at bay. He couldn't afford to fall apart in front of his family again. He had to be strong. " I swear that I will not leave this place until I find some answers. Are you with me, brothers?" Mikey and Don both nodded in agreement. "Mei-chan?" Venus also made her commitment to the cause.

"Leonardo-san, I will do whatever I can to aid you and inform you of any leads."

"Usagi, you don't..."

"It would be a great honor to help one of my dearest friends and a brother in arms. Please do not deny me this opportunity."

Leo couldn't help but smile at Usagi's determination to be of help.

"All right. It's decided. We're going to do whatever it takes to solve this cursed mystery...with or without Raph."

Next Chapter: The Battle Nexus Tournament begins as Don and Venus do some detective work. In between matches the kids do some exploring in the hall of Heroes and learn a valuable lesson in a horrible way.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

One thing could be said of the Battle Nexus; it was very, very loud. For a certain group of children raised on an isolated farm the roar of the crowd was a bit overwhelming. Tokio hated it. He made that quite clear as he pressed his hands to the sides of his head. Even in the Healer's Pavilion, which was right above the Daimyo's platform overlooking the arena, the cheers managed to rumble through the reinforced walls.

Venus stood by the balcony railing with her children as they watched the events unfold below. Tokio didn't think it could get any noisier until the Ultimate Daimyo stepped out on his balcony, his powerful War Staff in hand, to perform the opening ceremonies. The statuesque and mighty being kept his speech short and sweet. The great Daimyo was never one to make long speeches with lots of fanfare. Neither the spectators nor the combatants came to the nexus for speeches. They came for the fights! Soon the ancient warrior raised his staff, and with a booming voice gave the command for the tournament to begin!

The young genin watched as an enormous domed sectioned platform rose from the center of the arena. When the dome slid back to reveal the combatants it was the Hamato children's turn to make some noise.

"Look, Moondoggie! It's Daddy! Hi, Daddy!" Gidget squealed when Michelangelo waved from below then blew a kiss before turning to work the crowd.

"Oh yeah! Two time Battle Nexus Champion right here, people! You know you love me! That's right! Give me some love!"

Venus shook her head at Mikey's shenanigans as his twins cheered for their father. Rowan and Veronica got their own cheering section going when Raphael pointed up at them and gave them a thumbs up. Tokio took his hands from his ears long enough to wave at Leonardo, who gave his son a simple salute with his katana. Aphrodite smiled when Donatello mouthed 'I love you' in Japanese before twirling his bo for his own salute. Once all formalities were complete the dividers came up forcing the warriors into pairs.

Leonardo's razor sharp focus was key to his advancement to the next round. He put all thoughts about his search for answers concerning his adoptive father out of his mind as he faced his opponent. The Triceraton was big, as was expected of his species, and a huge mace was his weapon of choice. His size wasn't Leo's concern at all. It was his thick, armor-like skin. Since he had experience fighting with Triceratons before, the katana wielder knew that somehow he had to get to the fleshy part behind the bony plate on his head. The Triceraton wasn't making it easy for Leo. There were a few times when the gargantuan mace came within inches of the turtle mutant's body. At one point when the brutish opponent slammed his weapon to the ground it got stuck momentarily. Leonardo took that opportunity to run up his arm, leap onto his head, then flip over his bony head plate. Leo then flipped his katana and slammed the butt of the handle against the back of the Triceraton's head. Seconds later the massive warrior collapsed to the ground like a crumpled piece of paper.

Donatello had to be quick on his feet as he held his gelatinous foe at bay with his expandable modified bo.

"Why do I always get the nastiest, stickiest opponents?" the turtle genius groaned as he did his best to stay out of the reach of the many tentacles. When it appeared as if he was about to be cornered, Don was filled with the determination not to be eliminated in the first round again. He quickly pulled something out of his pouch and wrapped it around the end of his bo. He then extended his weapon until it pierced the wriggling beast's skin. Seconds later one of its tentacles exploded with a disgusting splat. The creature screeched as its eyes wiggled wildly in pain. Donatello took advantage of the distraction and loaded his bo once again. This time he jabbed his weapon into what he thought might be its side. It was hard to tell because the beast didn't really have much of a defining shape. Soon there was a vomit inducing splort and the giggly jello monster began to bellow and wail to the heavens before collapsing in on itself. Once the creature was sent to the healers Donatello overheard someone say, "I warned that bitch it wasn't a good idea to compete while pregnant. It totally slowed her down so she didn't even make it past the first round."

Donatello was horrified that not only had he just beaten up a female, she was also with child! And for the first time in Battle Nexus history someone puked on the arena floor.

Raphael seemed to be having a hard time of things and his misfortune was really pissing him off.

"Why, damn it? Why do I always end up fighting a fuckin' giant bug!" he growled to himself as he deflected Hagingin's scythe. He was at his boiling point and was tired of dodging his opponents attacks. As the mantis-wolf made a downward swing Raph ran straight at him, headbutting him in the stomach. Raph then kicked Hagingin in the knee, shattering his kneecap as tar black blood spewed from his wound. Hagingin stumbled as he tried to escape the wrath of the red-masked turtle. Unfortunately he didn't stumble fast enough as evidenced by the calloused green foot pounding into his face. Before Raph's foot came down a second time the battered mantis-wolf vanished from Raphael's sight. "Bugs ain't worth nothin' but for stompin'," Raph hissed as he pumped a fist in triumph.

The two-time battle nexus Champion had a much different experience than his older brothers. Once the dividers went up and he saw who his opponent was he thought for sure he had the first round in the bag. Mikey couldn't help but snicker at the two foot tall, fuzzy, reddish brown being that stood before him. The otherwise cute creature stared Mikey down as he brandished a modified gauntlet/sword on his right arm.

"I come her to fight some of the biggest, baddest, and meanest warriors in the multiverse and they have me facing off with Puss in Boots?"

The warrior sneered at Michelangelo as he doubled over with laughter. The orange-masked ninja suddenly saw a flash of steel, then a sickening swirl of colors. Next thing he heard was someone calling his name.

"Mikey! Mikey! Are you okay?" Once his vision cleared he recognized the face that belonged to the voice he was still a bit confused.

"Venus, what are you doing in the battle arena, sweetness?"

"This isn't the arena, Mikey. It's the Healers' Pavilion."

Hearing that Michelangelo's eyes grew wide with a certain realization.

"I got knocked out by Puss in Boots? In the first round? Damn it! Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!"

Mike's kids were clearly embarrassed by their father's ranting. Gidget dared the other kids to laugh just to give her an excuse to dish out a knuckle sandwich. Venus did her best to calm Mikey down.

"It's all right, Mikey. You can try again next time."

"That's not the point! I was eliminated in the FIRST ROUND but a two foot tall furball! This is humiliating!"

Venus patted Mike on the shell as his children came over to give him a hug. That's when the other kids could no longer hold in their mirth. When Gidget started yelling and threatening bodily harm Venus ordered all of the children to zip it as she rocked a dejected Michelangelo in her arms.

In the second round Donatello was paired with Mike's fuzzy opponent. The defeated former champion cheered as his brainy brother took the furball down after a pretty intense match.

"That's right, Donnie! I knew you could avenge me!"

Unfortunately Donatello was eliminated in the third round by his own brother, Leonardo. In the fourth and final round the spectators witnessed an event that would make Battle Nexus history. Two of the four Hamato brothers were facing off in the final round. Right before the Daimyo gave the signal for the match to begin Raphael approached his older sibling to whisper in his ear.

"Listen, if I win dis thing will you agree to drop this whole investigation business?"

"Only if you agree to help get some answers if I win. Is that a deal?" Raphael pondered for a moment before giving an answer.

"Deal."

Raph stepped back before the brothers bowed to one another. Once the sound of the War hammer thundered throughout the arena the brothers became a blur of red and blue. They seemed to be matched blow for blow as their muscles rippled and pulsed. At one point they had disarmed one another and were now fighting hand to hand. Leo kicked Raph across the face, accidentally scratching his brother's cheek with his toenail.

"Sorry, brother," Leo apologized as he landed a hard blow on Raph's shoulder.

"No, problem, fearless. It just gives my handsome face even more character," Raph grunted as he slammed that same shoulder into Leo's chest. He then flipped his older brother over his shoulder. Leo landed hard on his carapace. Raph was about to issue a final blow when Leo caught his foot and threw him off balance. Before Raph could roll to his knees the wind was knocked out of him as Leo kneed him in the chest.

"I hope you can forgive me, brother," were the last words Raph heard for Leo's fist got reacquainted with Raphael's face. With that the match was over. The arena was filled with the wild roars of the spectators, but Leonardo didn't feel like celebrating. Leo sat in the center of the ring with his head bowed as if he had actually been the one defeated.

After the fight was over Leonardo bypassed his fawning admirers on the sidelines and headed for the Healers' Pavilion to check on Raphael. He found him with Venus, who was cleaning Raph's cuts and treating his bruises. He didn't look too bad for a guy who had just been through four rounds of fierce competition. Leo chuckled as Raph grumbled about Venus fussing over him. She placed a sterile bandage on Raphael's cheek before giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Leo, do you have need of any herb medicine?"

"I'm fine, Mei-chan. Just a little sore."

"I'll get you some ointment."

As she did so their children approached with excitement and praise.

"You guys were awesome!" Tokio gushed as his father smiled down at him. Rowan jumped on his father's back and hugged him about the neck.

"I'm so proud of you dad, even though ya lost. Doesn't make you any less awesome to me."

"Thanks, kid." Raph could feel himself getting all emotional when his daughter gave him a big, sweet kiss on the beak. "Aww, c'mon, Princess. You're makin' me blush."

Since the closing ceremonies wouldn't be until the next day the Hamatos decided to take the kids to the Hall of Heroes. On the way there Donatello and Venus hung back from the others. They had come across the spot where master Splinter and Pacha had vanished leaving behind a walking stick and some decorative hair beads. Donnie glanced around before pulling out his EMF meter to take some readings while Venus watched for anyone behaving suspiciously. Mike had noticed that Venus and Don were missing and back tracked to find out what happened to them.

"What's going on you guys?"

"Just gathering some data. We'll catch up with you guys in a little while."

"Ok. I'm gonna show the kids the statue in my honor. That ought to take the bitter taste of defeat out of my mouth," Mikey sighed as he ran to catch up with the rest of his clan. Venus snickered when Donatello mimed playing a violin.

The children were already exploring the Hall of Heroes. They were very excited to see Master Yoshi and Splinter immortalized in bronze. The genin wandered deeper into the hall when they came upon the statue dedicated to Michelangelo. Gidget squealed and hopped onto the statue to hug one of its legs.

"Gidge, Leo-ojisan said not to touch anything!" Veronica scolded.

"Mind your own business, Ronnie!"

As the two girls' argument escalated Aphrodite felt a twitch in her left eye. She looked all around to figure out what was causing her discomfort when something on the floor nearby had caught her attention. She knelt down and saw what appeared to be runes drawn on the floor.

"What ya lookin' at, Lovie?" Milan inquired as he knelt next to her.

"I...I'm not sure."

Right then a chain of events unfolded. It all began with a shout.

"Hey, you! I need to talk to you for a minute!" Michelangelo called out to a female humanoid standing nearby. She looked momentarily startled before she broke out in a sprint. "Leo, catch her! I think that's the lady we've been looking for!"

As the woman in green ran past the children, Gidget came down from the statue and pushed Veronica, who in turn bumped into Aphrodite's shell. Lovie tried to regain her balance by grabbing onto Milan. Unfortunately that didn't stop her from falling forward right on top of the runes. The very moment Leonardo caught up with the mysterious woman in green a blood curdling scream echoed throughout the Hall of Heroes.

Gidget was standing over the runes screaming at the top of her lungs pointing at the center of the circle of symbols. There, to everyone's horror, lay two objects on top of a thin layer of dust. A replica of Mikey's Tribunal amulet and a purple butterfly clip.

Next Chapter: Total chaos erupts in the Hall of Heroes as the Hamatos demand answers from the woman in green.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Where are they! What have you done! Tell me, damn it!" Leo screamed as he slammed the target of his rage against the base of a nearby statue. The terrified humanoid was dressed in green from the neck down. Her red-orange hair flopped against her face as a furious mutant turtle shook her mercilessly. Leo stopped shaking her just long enough for her to catch her breath and speak.

"I'm sorry. It wasn't meant for those children..."

"What the hell do you mean?" Leo growled as he slammed the woman to the ground by her neck. By now he had her begging for her life. "I'll consider it...once you tell me what the HELL YOU DID!"

By now Donatello, Venus, and Usagi had arrived at the scene. And what a terrible scene it was. Michelangelo was holding his sobbing daughter in his arms as the other children ran to their mother for comfort. Venus asked them what was wrong, but all of them were crying so hard their words sounded like nothing but vain babble. Leo had dragged the strange woman by her neck to the edge of the circle of runes. Venus gasped when she saw the butterfly clip and the amulet laying on the floor atop a pile of dust. She slowly knelt down to pick up the items and clutched them to her chest.

"Oh no. It's happened again...my babies. NOT MY BABIES!" When Venus began to sob and hyperventilate Donatello put his arms around her and tried to calm her. "Not my babies! What did you do to my babies?"

Leo sat on top of the terrified woman, eyes bloodshot and filled with rage as he slowly unsheathed one of his katana. He didn't know exactly what this person did. All he knew was that she was the cause of his family's suffering right now, and there was a possibility that she had done this to them once before.

"Now you listen to me," Leo hissed as he brought the blade closer to her throat. "You explain what happened here or you die. Your choice!" A nick of the blade against her chin was enough to get the woman talking again.

"They're not dead! At least not yet..."

"What?" Leonardo pressed the blade just a millimeter closer.

"Please listen! I just sent them away, but that gate wasn't meant for those children!" Leo pulled the blade away slightly.

"Keep talking."

"That is a trap gate I set by order of my master," she continued, her voice quivering with fear. "It leads to our world and ends on my master's land. He...he ordered me to find prime prey for his prized pet's h...hunting grounds. He used to use prisoners from our world for th...this but once we discovered the Battle Nexus he saw that it was r...ripe with food for his pet and entertainment for himself." The woman thought her pounding heart would explode out of her chest as Leo leaned in really close.

"How do we get them back?" he asked in a voice that was eerily calm.

"Y-you can't..."

"LIAR!" The clan leader squeezed her neck as she choked out her words.

"The only way they can escape is through the Red Gate! And it will only open with the right runes!"

"Do you know what the right runes are?" Leo hissed as he loosened his grip.

"Y-yes." When Leo grew quiet the woman visibly shuddered under the gaze of his cool blue eyes.

"What's your name?"

"K-Kala."

"Listen, Kala. You're going to show us how to get to these hunting grounds and show us the runes for this Red Gate you spoke of. You're also going to help us find our children. If you refuse I will not hesitate to kill you. Have I made myself clear?"

"V-very."

"Now...let's talk runes..."

She could smell grass and freshly overturned earth and felt a leaf tickling her nostrils. Her finger twitched as she slowly opened her heavy lids. Aphrodite looked around and could tell immediately that she was no longer in the Hall of Heroes. The problem was she had no idea where she was or how she got there. Sensing that something was off she closed her right eye and focused her left on her surroundings. When she observed the chi in the plant life it was off for some reason. Instead of flowing from the ground up and out through the pores of the leaves it undulated and went every which way.

"What is this place?" she asked herself. She flinched when she got an unexpected reply.

"I have no idea, and I got a feelin' I don't want to find out." Lovie immediately recognized that voice.

"Milan! How did you get here?" He simply shrugged in response as he went right to exploring. Not only was the flow of chi off in the alien environment, there were unrecognized smells and sounds coming from their surroundings. As the pair gingerly walked through the underbrush Lovie thought for sure she saw movement to their right accompanied by a tinkling sound. "Hey! Who's there," she called out bravely while clinging to Milan at the same time. That's when she saw a pair of luminous eyes peeking from beneath a nearby shrub. As a nervous turtle girl knelt down to get a closer look a fuzzy hand pushed the branches aside to reveal a hairy brown face. 'It's that girl!' Aphrodite thought as the person revealed herself completely. For a moment the three children stared at each other before the fuzzy one spoke.

"What are you doing here?"

"Uh, I wish I knew. It's good to see a familiar face, though. My name's Aphrodite, by the way. You can call me Lovie. And this is Milan."

"Oh...hello." As the furry girl slowly walked a circle around them Lovie noticed she had a cute, fluffy tail. She carried some kind of satchel over her shoulder that looked pretty full. Whatever she had in there was moving around. "My name is Rin. You know it's not good that you're here."

"It's not? Why not?" As if in answer to her question the ground began to shake with a rhythmic rumble.

"That's why. Follow me. Hurry!" The scared turtle children obeyed as the rumbling got louder. At one point the sound got so loud Milan had to shout to Rin so she could hear him.

"What is making all that noise?"

"Trust me, you don't want to find out! Now come with me!"

As they followed their furry guide a huge tree trunk came into view up ahead. The mutant children got an uneasy feeling as Rin headed strait for it. Lovie cried out for Rin to stop right before a gaping hole opened up in the trunk. All questions aside, Milan and Aphrodite grabbed each others' hand and went feet first into the hole just as the surrounding trees began to shake wildly. They took a moment to gather their wits after they landed at the top of a winding wooden staircase. They saw Rin a few feet below beckoning them to continue. Once they caught up with their little fuzzy savior Rin pulled out an orb made of a glassy material. It had something that looked like a cross between a glowing jellyfish and a butterfly floating within it. Lovie thought it was very pretty. After about five minutes of silence Aphrodite spoke up.

"Uh, Rin, where are we going?"

"To my home, no thanks to that lady in the light blue mask," Rin mumbled.

"Who?" Lovie wondered if she was talking about her mother.

"The one that was with the man in the purple mask. I don't know their names. You live with them so you should know."

"Sounds like you're describing my parents. My mami wears light blue and my daddy wears purple. Did something happen between you and them?" Lovie couldn't think of how that could be possible since she was the only one who could see Rin at the farmhouse.

"Yes!" Rin turned to face the genin with hurt in her eyes. "Your mama put those paper things in my path! I had to find another way back home because of her! It took me days to find my way around that barrier!" Rin sniffled as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Mama and Papa were so cross with me! It took me days to convince them that I was telling the truth."

Lovie and Milan felt kind of bad seeing Rin in distress.

"Hey, Rin-chan. We're really sorry that our mami caused you to get in trouble," Milan explained. "But our mami is a good person who would never hurt anybody on purpose. I'm sure she would have stopped if she knew she was causing harm." He put a hand on the fluffy girl's shoulder as she dried her tears.

"Oh well, you know your mama better than I do, so...I forgive her. C'mon. Let's get to my home so my mama can make us dinner. I worked hard gathering the main ingredient." Rin smiled as she patted her still squirming satchel.

"What's in there, anyway," Milan inquired.

"Millipedes! I managed to get the big, black, squirmy kind! They are the yummiest!" Milan and Aphrodite gave each other a grossed out look before following their now bubbly friend down the tunnel.

Soon the trio arrived as a thick wooden door. Rin pulled out a small, stone object and pressed it to the lock. The door opened with a hiss and Rin went traipsing in with a happy grin on her face. After the turtle siblings stepped inside Rin shut and locked the door behind them. The room they were in was quite spacious and appeared to be constructed from thousands of intertwining root systems. In spite of the dankness there was a sense of cheerful optimism permeating the place.

"Why don't you two have a seat while I take the food to the kitchen for Mama?"

The two genin made themselves comfortable as they looked over their new friend's home.

"I don't know about you, Lovie, but I kind of like this place. It's...cozy."

"Yeah, it's ok...but it's not home." That statement got both children wondering if their family had any idea where they were. Not much later the pair could hear Rin returning. She was talking to someone, her voice filled with excitement and expectation.

"Papa, please come meet my new friends! They are so nice, I know you will like them."

Rin came around the corner pulling a larger person behind her.

"Papa, this is Milan and Lovie. Friends, meet my Papa!"

The next thing that occurred left Rin very confused. Both genin jumped up for their seats, their eyes wide with surprise. When she looked up at her father she saw that his face bore the same shocked expression. Before she could ask a single question the two turtle children ran up to her father and bowed at his feet as Milan cried out.

"Splinter-jiisan! How can this be?"

Aphrodite looked up as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Moondoggie, either we're dreaming...or we must be dead!"

Next Chapter: Splinter has a lot of explaining to do. Also Kala is brought before the Daimyo.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

It was like looking into the face of a dream he never knew he had. The bright innocent eyes - the smooth, green skin - the lithe, streamlined bodies – all of these features reminded him of his beloved sons in their youth. Splinter knew that two of his sons couldn't possibly be here, in their prepubescence nonetheless. Then he realized something. They had called him 'jii-san.' Grandfather, huh? The wise ninja master never thought he would ever hear that term of endearment. He stepped closer as he gazed down at the clearly confused youngsters. One was nearly the spitting image of a young Michelangelo and the other...a girl? Yes. Wearing lavender and with similar features as Donatello and an odd looking left eye. He reached out a hand of reassurance and bid the children stand.

"There's no need to be afraid. I am no ghost and this is no dream."

Milan and Aphrodite, both still a little confused, stood up, never taking their eyes off of the grandfather they had only seen in photos and heard about in their parents' anecdotes and lessons. As Splinter graced them with a warm smile Lovie couldn't help but feel the urge hug him. She hugged herself instead, embarrassed that she considered being so forward with someone she had never met in person until now. Milan was a little bolder as he reached out and gave Splinter's beard a quick stroke. That got a chuckle out of the rat. As all this was going on an even more confused Rin was trying to figure out what in the world was going on, and why her new found friends were calling her father 'jii-san.'

"Papa, I don't understand. Do you know them?"

"Not exactly, Rin-chan. Why don't we all have a seat at the table so we can at least attempt to clear things up."

The dining table was low to the floor with no chairs, so they all sat on pillows. Splinter and Rin sat next to each other while the two young genin sat across from them. Milan and Aphrodite shifted uncomfortably under Rin's somewhat accusing glare as Splinter started up a conversation.

"First things first...what are your names again? I'm afraid it wasn't made clear in all the excitement."

"I'm Milan. My family calls me Moondoggie sometimes. And this is Aphrodite. We call her Lovie for short."

"Ah. I see. It is very nice to meet you. Tell me, how old are you?"

"We're both 10. I'll be 11 soon right after Tokio. Well, me and my twin sister have a birthday coming up soon after his."

"And Tokio is..."

"Oh! He's Leo-ojisan's son. He's the oldest." Splinter nodded as he thoughtfully stroked his beard.

"Hmmm. Is it safe to guess that you are Michelangelo's son?"

"Yeah! How did you know?"

"You have his eyes and his spots. And most of all, I could never forget his smile." He then turned to Aphrodite. "And you, dear girl, definitely must be Donatello's child. Your coloring and timidness remind me of him at that age. Did I guess correctly?"

"H-hai, jii-jii."

Rin scooted closer to her father as she listened in on the conversation. She had no idea who they were talking about and wasn't sure if she liked someone besides her mother and herself being so familiar with her papa. As for Splinter's take on the situation, he was happy to find out that his family was prospering back on his home world while still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he was a grandfather. He could tell from their respectful behavior that his sons had trained them well. He was also fascinated by the fact that his grandchildren all had the same mother. Given the opportunity he would definitely ask his sons and the shinobi mystic how this came to be. That would be an interesting tale indeed.

The pair of turtle children were now more relaxed since their initial encounter with their patriarch, who listened attentively as they told him as much as they could about their family. During that time Rin was called from the table by her mother to help in the kitchen. Soon Rin returned carrying bowls and utensils that appeared to be carved by hand with a very skilled hand. She set the table without a word with such a serious expression Aphrodite wondered why Rin's sunny attitude had changed. Moments later Rin's mother emerged from the kitchen carrying a steaming pot. She stood about four and a half feet tall, had reddish-brown fur, and a fluffy tail. She had a small white stripe on the bridge of her muzzle, which ended in a soft, pink nose. The fur on top of her head was flecked with black and brown stripes with one long braid with colored beads on the right side of her furry face. She reminded Aphrodite of a ground squirrel, and she suppressed her inner squeal at her cuteness. The little woman smiled at the young genin as she set the pot of food on a woven place mat on the table. Milan and Lovie couldn't help returning that smile when they heard her greet them in a sweet, lilting voice.

"Hello. I'm Pacha. Rin tells me she found you while gathering food," she began as she served the piping hot meal. It smelled so good the turtle children forgot what the stew was made of.

"Yes, Ma'am. That's right," Milan replied as she set a bowl in front of him. Pacha shot a look at Rin before sending her to fetch the tea pot from the kitchen. Rin huffed as she obeyed. After serving the stew Pacha sat down next to her mate while Lovie squirmed with embarrassment as she fought the desire to reach over and scratch Pacha between her cute little ears. Once Rin returned she quietly served everyone their tea while shooting Milan and Aphrodite dirty looks. Splinter gave his daughter a warning glance before beginning their meal with a brief blessing of "itadatkimasu!"

"So, children, how exactly did you end up here?" Splinter inquired as he had a sip of herbal tea.

"Ano...we're not sure, jii-san. All I remember is looking at some symbols drawn on the floor when we were in the Hall of Heroes. Next thing I knew I woke up here and Milan was with me."

The wise master quickly processed this information as he could tell his mate was doing the same.

"I had long suspected that we were dealing with an inter-dimensional gate. Unfortunately, Pacha and I did not notice it on our way to that same Hall of Heroes so long ago. What you have told us has given us confirmation of what we suspected."

"An inter-dimensional gate? Is it like the one we used to travel to the Battle Nexus?" Milan had a glimmer of hope that they had possibly found a way to get back to their family.

"Yes, Milan. And I know what you're thinking, because we thought it ourselves when we ended up here. We even tried opening a gate back to the Battle Nexus ourselves, but obviously it did not work. We did notice something peculiar about this world. Every few years a red torii would appear on the landscape and remain visible for weeks at a time. It was very dangerous, but we finally managed to get to the torii, but we couldn't walk through. Some kind of barrier blocked the way. We even attempted to use the runes for the Battle Nexus and even the ones to get back to Second and Third Earth. As you can see those plans failed as well. We've been struggling to survive here ever since, resigned to a life in this world."

The two genin didn't like the sound of that at all. Splinter could see the growing apprehension in their eyes as Pacha continued the conversation.

"Our little Rin hasn't given up hope of escaping this place though. She became really determined when she saw you in the burrows. At first we thought what she observed was in her imagination or that it was a trick of the shadows. That is until recently when she came back with some physical evidence." The herbalist turned to her daughter. "Would you please show them, Rin-chan?"

Rin pulled a small object out of her pocket and slapped it on the table. Is was round leather band that Aphrodite immediately recognized.

"That's my wrist band! You must have pulled it off when you scratched..." Lovie grew quiet as she held her bandaged left hand as she remembered how upset Rin was that she had hurt her. Rin had her head bowed and was stirring her spoon around in her empty bowl. "Hey, don't feel bad. I know you didn't do it on purpose." That's when Rin dropped her spoon in her bowl and asked to be excused. Splinter granted her permission and the little girl practically fled the room.

"What's wrong with Rin?" Milan asked as he finished off the surprisingly delicious stew.

"I think she's quite disappointed," Splinter replied with a sigh. "She was hoping that you might be able to help us find a way out of this place. From what you've told us we can already see that you haven't a clue how to escape this dangerous world."

"So...you're saying we're pretty much stuck here, jii-san?" Lovie dared to ask as the horrible realization began to set in.

"I hate to say it, child, but yes."

Both children suddenly lost their appetites. One of Lovie's hot tears dropped into her stew as she entertained the thought of never seeing her beloved family again.

Back in the Battle Nexus a troubled woman in green was literally dragged before the Daimyo between Leonardo and Raphael. They had restrained her hands and feet making it impossible for her to stand, which made it impossible for her to run away, which was the point. Her face bore bruises which were the result of angering the Hamato Clan leader. She told herself that if she got out of this situation with her life she would make sure to never incur his wrath ever again. The sole matriarch of the clan also filled the humanoid with fear and trembling. Kala would never forget Venus' voice dripping with venom as she threatened to feed the woman her own eyeballs if any harm came to her little ones. Kala didn't know which one of them was scarier, but she definitely didn't want to find out.

The green clad female found herself practically kissing the floor at the foot of the Daimyo's throne as Leonardo laid out accusations against her. The mighty Daimyo's masked gaze bore down on her with the weight of a mountain.

"Are these accusations true?"

"Yes, but I can explain!" Raphal pulled her upright so she could plead her case. "I am Kala Yapuri of Dimension X. My master is a horrible monster called Lord Draxx. He torments my people, The Neutrinos, for sheer entertainment. In recent years my brother, Zack, and I discovered this Battle Nexus while experimenting with inter-dimensional gates. My brother and I planned on using this discovery as a means of escape for our people. Somehow Lord Draxx found out about our plans and put a stop to them. When he observed what was going on in the Battle Nexus he became intrigued. He always enjoyed tossing prisoners onto his beastly pet's hunting grounds just to see them torn apart. But he had gotten bored and wanted to give his pet a challenge, so he commissioned me and my brother to set traps for the competitors. At first we refused, but then Lord Draxx imprisoned Zack and threatened to kill him if I continued to defy him. I didn't want my brother to die...so I reluctantly carried out my masters orders."

"I see. Tell me this. Why had so much time passed since you troubled us again?"

"Well, it seems Dimension X is not quite in sync with this Nexus so for a time I was unable to get here. Lord Draxx was not pleased because he thought I was lying. His advisor, however, confirmed that I was telling the truth, so I just waited a bit longer for the proper timing. Sadly that caused Draxx to start sacrificing my people to his beast once again. When I was finally able to make it back here I set a trap gate in the Hall of Heroes thinking perhaps a former champion may stumble upon it. I had no intention for those children to be caught in that trap!"

The Daimyo cut her off with a slam of his War Staff.

"I've heard enough. What you have done is reprehensible. You have caused much chaos in the lives of many. Although your circumstances are equally reprehensible I cannot allow you to wreak any more havoc in my dimension. So I will convene with my council to decide your fate. Until then you shall be confined for the duration." That's when Leo spoke out of turn out of desperation.

"Honorable Daimyo, with all due respect we don't have time for a trial. Our children are in grave danger!"

"What do you suggest be done, Leonardo?"

"I suggestyou put her in our custody so that she can take us to her dimension to rescue our children and any other survivors we come across."

After thoughtful consideration the Daimyo gave Leo his answer.

"Very well. I'll leave it up to you to decide who will accompany you on this rescue mission."

"Thank you, most wise and honorable Daimyo."

That being decided the battered and bruised Kala was filled with much dread. From the looks she was getting from the Turtles she would rather go to the Daimyo's dungeon.

Next Chapter: The Hamato's decide who will go to Dimension X and who will stay with the children. Mikey is a bit conflicted about the whole situation.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Just stay curled up in a corner, be quiet, and don't make eye contact with anybody. That was a certain terrified Neutrino's survival plan for the time being. She could hear the turtles and the samurai lagomorph discussing her fate several yards away. Kala shuddered as she saw the terrapin in blue staring at her out of the corner of her eye. From that look it was more like he was planning her demise rather than just her shaky, uncertain future. She adjusted her uncomfortable position as best she could in her bound state as she clamped her eyes shut. Her face hurt and she had developed a bit of a headache since her initial encounter with the current Battle Nexus champion. She didn't dare complain. The last thing she needed was another beating. So for now she focused on trying to get some rest somehow. She found the tiniest bit of solace in the fact the turtles at least provided her with some blankets to lay on. As Kala settled into uncomfortable yet much needed rest, the Hamato clan and their samurai friend discussed their plans for the rescue mission.

"Ok, so we'll head out first thing tomorrow," Leo explained. "We need to be rested and alert before we head into foreign territory. Mikey, Mei-chan, and Usagi will be going with me to Dimension X. We'll get Kala to show us all the runes we need to complete the mission, taking her along with us to avoid any treachery on her part. Until then we'll keep watch over her in pairs in two hour shifts. Mike and Raph will be the first shift, Don and Usagi can be the second, and Venus and I will be the third. Don, Raph, after we leave for Dimension X I want you to take the kids back to New York. They've had enough trauma and excitement for the day."

All present matters being settled, Michelangelo and Raphael took the first shift guarding Kala, who was now curled up on her side on top of blankets like a newborn lamb. The two turtle brothers sat on each side of her watching her closely. Kala may have been asleep, but she seemed aware of the turtles' presence even in her unconscious state. She shivered under Raphael's glare as he silently dared the Neutrino to try to escape.

"Ya know, Mikey, if we didn't need this lady to find the kids I'd kill this bitch for what she did to them and what she did to Splinta and Pacha."

"C'mon, Raph. Don't you think you're being a little too harsh? It's not like she did it on purpose."

"The fuck ya mean? She definitely did it on purpose to Master Splinta and Pacha, that's for sure. And it ain't no accident that she made that trap gate. What ya standin' up for her for anyways? That bitch broke up our family twice, Mikey! Twice! Anybody that does that is just plain evil!"

"It's not like she came up with the plan. I mean, her master's holdin' her brother hostage and forcin' her to do this..."

"You can kill dat noise right now, bro! For all we know she could be lying to cover her ass! I ain't fallin' for that bullshit. Whose side are you on anyway? That's your son and Donnie's little girl in trouble all cuz o' this bitch. If anybody should want to make her pay it should be you and Don!"

"I dunno, Raph. She seemed pretty sincere to me..."

"Yeah, sincerely scared shitless cuz she got caught! What is with you, Mike? Are seriously fallin' for that pile of crap?"

Mike slumped his shoulders and shook his head. He was so conflicted about the whole situation. When Kala was explaining her situation he could hear the regret in her voice and see the desperation in her eyes. Something told him that she was a good person being forced to do horrific things. At the same time his baby boy, his pride and joy, was in great danger and he wanted to get him back quickly before something terrible happened to him. Michelangelo didn't dare imagine the unthinkable. Raphael frowned at the clear conflict in his brother's expression.

"Damn it, Mikey. I swear to god you better not be fallin' for this bitch," Raph hissed as he leaned close to his brother. Mike glared at his sibling briefly before looking down at Kala. She was such a pitiful sight with her pained expression and face ashen with dried tears.

"Raph, I may be a bit of a goof at times, but I'm not an idiot. I gotta admit I feel kind of sorry for her. When a loved one is threatened you could end up doing things you never thought you would to protect them. Usually things you'll regret."

"Whateva, bro. Probably all just an act anyway. Turnin' on the waterworks just cause her ass got caught."

Just then Kala stirred and slowly opened her eyes. She glanced at each of the turtles then attempted to sit up in her restrained state, which was just about impossible. Mike took pity on her and helped her sit up as he took note of her uncomfortable expression.

"Hey, you ok?"

For a moment Kala appeared unsure if she should answer.

"Uh...I...need to go the the bathroom...p-please."

Raph scoffed and shook his head.

"Heh. I guess this means you want us to untie you and let you go to the water closet, huh?"

"P-please, if you would be so kind?"

"Hell no! We ain't givin' you a chance to escape!"

"But I...!"

"Shut it, lady!" Raphael glanced at his younger brother. "Hey, Mike, go get that chamber pot over there."

"Raph, you can't be serious!"

"Hell yeah, I'm serious! I ain't lettin' this bitch outta my sight! Whateva she gotta do she can do it right here." The red clad mutant glanced back at Kala. "You ain't getting a chance to escape. Not on my watch."

A mortified Michelangelo brought the chamber pot over while Raphael undid Kala's restraints. Mikey politely looked away as Raph glared at the Neutrino female with his arms folded. Kala looked down at the pot then back at Raph, who hadn't taken his eyes off of her yet.

"What are you waitin' for? Go ahead and piss, shit, or whateva ya gotta do! And don't ask me to wipe your ass, cuz it ain't happenin'!"

When Kala looked back down she noticed a roll of toilet paper set on the other side of the pot. She really had to go, but not with someone watching her. Kala glanced at Michelangelo, who had his back turned, then at Raphael. She subtly hinted that she would prefer some privacy, but Raph's scowl let her know that he wouldn't be cooperating with that notion. So, with a sigh of resignation the Neutrino swallowed her dignity and did what she had to do as tears of humiliation pooled in her eyes. As she made herself decent she heard the red clad ninja scoff in irritation.

"I hope you don't think I'm doing this outta some kinda sick perversion. I'm just makin' sure you don't disappear on us before givin' us the information we need to get our kids back."

Kala silently wiped her tears and laid back down on the blankets as Mike put the chamber pot back in the corner. She noticed that the orange masked one looked quite apologetic when he returned to his post.

"Hey, uh, Kala...you comfortable? You need another blanket?"

Kala stared wide eyed and speechless before shaking her head. She was so shocked by his kindness she wasn't sure if she should thank him or if she was being set up to be executed later on. She got the feeling he didn't want to hurt her, but Mike was a definite minority among this group. She decided to set aside all thoughts of her possible impending doom and get some sleep.

After a couple hours Usagi and Donatello came in to relieve Raph and Mike. On their way back to their family's quarters Raphael gave his younger brother a hard nudge, almost knocking him into a wall.

"What the hell was that for, Raph?"

"You're kidding me, right? You really think I wouldn't call you out for flirting with that bitch?"

"Wha...? What are you talking about?"

Raph clasped his hands beneath his chin and fluttered his amber eyes.

"Oh, Miss Kala, are you okay? Ya comfy? Are these meager accommodations to your liking? You must get your beauty rest after all!" Raph mocked before giving his brother a nasty sneer of irritation.

"I wasn't flirting, okay! I was just being polite," Mike protested as he rubbed his shoulder.

"Mike, what the hell is wrong with you? That lady has turned our lives upside down in a matter of seconds puttin' two of the kids in danger. Not only that she took our father from us! She don't deserve no politeness from us or anyone else whose life she's ruined! Now stop being such a pussy for a pretty face and stay focused on what's important! Getting Moondoggie and Lovie back!"

Mikey was too tired to get into it with Raph so he grudgingly kept quiet and let the matter rest for now. He was very distressed over what happened to his son and niece, but at the same time he could identify with Kala's desperate circumstances. It was a horrible situation all around and he wanted it all resolved as quickly and peacefully as possible. Once they made it back to their quarters Mikey laid down next to his daughter, who was still awake. The ninja could tell his precious offspring was utterly devastated by what happened to her brother and sister-cousin. He held her close and kissed the top of her head. Gidget sniffled as she clung to her father, relieved that he still loved her. She still felt it was her fault that Aphrodite and Milan were gone. She was the one that knocked them onto the trap gate after all. She just wanted this nightmare to be over so her twin brother and younger sister-cousin could come home safe and sound.

The next morning Kala woke with a start. She sat up and looked around in a state of panic. She was still laying on the pile of blankets but something was different. She was soaking wet. Her confused gaze shot upwards when she spotted a large, two-toed, green foot next to her hand. Once again she was caught in Leonardo's steely gaze. She noticed he had a wooden bucket in his left hand. The bucket was swinging loosely as if it was empty. She noted the ring of moisture near the bottom.

"I see you had gotten a bit too comfortable. You didn't respond when I called your name or when I shook you. So I had to resort to this."

Leo dropped the bucket next to her and watched it roll across the floor until it bumped against a nearby wall. When some of the lingering clear liquid spilled out Kala was glad he hadn't splashed her with the contents of the chamber pot.

"Get up and dry off."

A stern looking Venus handed the alien female a dry towel. Not much longer after Kala made herself decent the ninja clan leader tossed a couple of small objects at her, which she caught in her hands. It was a small notebook and a writing utensil.

"I want you to draw the runes for the gate to your dimension and for the red gate you mentioned. And no tricks!"

Kala carefully drew five runes in a circular pattern on the top sheet of paper. Before she could even start on the second set of runes Leo snatched the notebook from her.

"Donnie, take a look at these."

Kala held her breath as the reptilian mutant looked at the notebook then turned to Leonardo.

"These aren't the same runes she drew on the floor in the Hall of Heroes."

"I see."

In a flash Leo had Kala by the throat.

"I said no tricks!"

Kala instinctively grabbed at his hand to free herself from his grip.

"Wait! Let me explain!" She rasped. "Those are the runes I use to get home! I wouldn't use a trap gate on myself!"

Leo's grip around her throat loosened by he didn't let her go.

"We don't need to go to your home. We want to take the same route as the children to make it easier for us to locate them."

"But that will put us in my master's hunting grounds!"

"Good! Because that's exactly where we want to go! Haven't you been listening? Now, stop wasting our time and draw the runes for the red gate."

Kala had a coughing fit after Leo let her go. As she drew the secret runes she thought to herself that it may be good for the Turtles to drop into the beast's hunting grounds, but it certainly wouldn't be good for her. After she finished writing she handed the notebook back to Leo, who pocketed the notebook in his weapon pouch. She immediately began eying the nearest exit, but saw Raphael standing there.

"N-now can I go?"

"Of course...but not without us. You're staying in our custody until our missing children are safely home."

"But...!"

"If you hadn't tried to trick us with the wrong runes I would have let you go on your merry way. But you had to go and play games. I don't trust you one bit, so..." Leonardo tied Kala's wrists with a long rope. He then took the loose end of the rope and tied it around her neck and waist, making her appear like an animal on a leash. When Leo tugged on the end of the rope Kala was quick to comply. She could tell if she resisted in any way Leo could pull on the rope and choke her.

"Don, I need you to draw the runes she used in the Hall of Heroes."

While Donatello did so the children gathered in the room to say goodbye. Most of the children were doing their best to stay strong, but it was very difficult for Gidget to keep from crying. She still felt so guilty about what happened and now her daddy was going off to a strange world to get her brother and sister-cousin back. She was terrified that her parents and uncle would never return. A few minutes later Donatello had completed drawing the trap gate. The children hugged Leo, Venus, and Mikey goodbye. Gidget clung to her father tightly until Mike gave her a kiss and pulled from her embrace.

"I gotta go, sweetie. Go stand with Raph and Don, ok?"

Gidget reluctantly obeyed as she wiped tears from her eyes. Leonardo then pulled Kala to him by the rope and stepped on the trap gate with her. In flash nothing but a single shuriken and a small, green button lay in the center of the gate. Venus, Usagi, and Michelangelo soon followed leaving behind a kunai, a ceramic teacup, and a key chain shaped like a surfboard. Raph and Don carefully picked up the objects before Don erased the trap gate from the floor.

Rowan approached his father, looking unsure and terrified. He took hold of Raphael's hand looking for comfort and assurance that all would be well. Like the other children, he wasn't quite sure what was going on. All he knew was that he wanted his family to be mended from all this chaos. Raphael could see the fear and confusion in all of the children's eyes and felt his anger rising as he clenched his fists. He hoped his older brother would make that alien bitch pay dearly for disrupting their lives not once, but twice! He snapped out of his angry haze at the sound of Rowan crying out in pain. He had squeezed his son's hand and quickly apologized.

"Don, let's get the hell outta here. If I stay here any longer I'm gonna go nuts."

"Where are we gonna go, Daddy?" Veronica inquired, her voice strained with stress. Raph hugged his twins close then glanced at his brother.

"We're goin' back to New York."

Next Chapter: Leo and company arrive in Dimension X and, of course, land in the middle of a dangerous situation. Also, Don and Raph try their best to comfort the kids and help them focus on the positive.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

There are moments when one should step back and assess the situation, and then there are moments when one should run like hell. The Turtles' present situation fell somewhere in between. Presently they were in freefall, so running was out of the question for the time being. Within two seconds all parties present realized what they were falling towards...sort of. Just mere moments after passing through the gate they all could see the gaping maw of some kind of beast. That horrifying sight was accompanied by at terrifying sound and a horrible odor. Leonardo's eyes nearly rolled into the back of his skull as the nauseating stench of death wrapped itself around him.

As a ninja Leo was trained not only to be quick on his feet. He also had to have a sharp mind especially in the extremely bizarre and often dangerous situations he and his family often found themselves. While resiting the urge to vomit from the awful smell as well as the urge to strangle Kala for screeching at the top of her lungs in his ear, Leonardo twisted his body just enough for both of them to land on the massive shoulders of the foul beast. It wasn't a perfect landing. It knocked the wind out of the screaming Neutrino, which was a bonus in Leo's mind. Once they tumbled to the ground Leo quickly scanned the area to locate the others. He spotted Mikey first, who had landed in front of the malodorous beast looking like if he had been wearing pants he would have shit them.

The monster dominating the field of trampled grass appeared as if it was pieced together from a fusion of creatures. It was covered with orange and brown fur and it's frame was built like a woolly mammoth. Its trunk was stubby and its beady eyes were a watery dark gray. It had two massive tusks with metal armor caps on the tips. Its huge paws supporting its tree trunk sized legs resembled a tiger's paws, which included sharp, bloody claws that had obviously been put to use recently. As Leo rushed to assisted his younger brother, he couldn't help thinking that somehow this horrible alien beast looked familiar to him. He placed that thought on the shelf of his brain to focus on making sure Michelangelo didn't get squashed underfoot.

At the same time Venus and Usagi were busy dodging the pained flailing of the obviously enraged beast. When the beast flailed to its left it was made clear to Venus why it was enraged. Hagingin, the wolf-mantis, had one of his claws wedged deep in the flesh if the creature's left buttock. The way the Battle Nexus warrior's body was flopping around Venus assumed the injured warrior had already met his end before their arrival. With weapon in hand the shinobi mystic prepared to engage the beast when it suddenly let out a thunderous bellow and flopped down on its haunches. Everyone left standing flinched at the sickening crunch before the monster righted itself and violently shook it left hind leg. Hagingin's smashed and bloody remains tumbled to the ground. His right claw was now detached and still lodged deep in the beast's flesh. Venus didn't have a chance to register her horror when she felt a strong hand grab her arm. She turned to see a stern looking Usagi. As he pulled her behind him his voice exuded a strong sense of urgency.

"The beast doesn't seem to notice our presence, so we must go now!" Seconds later the samurai loosened his grip on his comrade's arm, allowing her to run on her own. She could see a still bound Kala running up ahead towards a twisted looking forest. Mikey, who was the fastest runner among them, was moments away from catching up with the Neutrino. A panicked feeling lurched in her belly as Venus realized Leonardo was nowhere in sight. Seconds later she heard a unearthly shriek then nearly fell as the ground began to quake. Suddenly Leo appeared about ten yards from her right thrusting his left arm forward with a look on his face that screamed 'let's get the hell outta here!' Venus quickly regained her footing and headed towards the forest, which seemed to be the only nearby sanctuary.

That sickening stench of the monster's breath and the rhythmic rumbling of it's footsteps let everyone know that the beast was now clearly aware of them. Kala was the first to make it into the forest, followed closely by Michelangelo. Unfortunately Leo, Venus, and Usagi were about twenty yards behind them. The terrible smelling, moist breath of the beast was right on their backs. Leonardo managed to control his panic when he felt one of the armored tusks bump against his carapace. All of them managed to make it past the edge of the forest with all their body parts accounted for. However, they still remained on the move for the riled up beast was now felling trees left and right. The Turtles and their companions had to rely on every evasive skill to avoid being crushed in the wake of the enraged monster's wrath until the beast suddenly grew quiet. It paused briefly then huffed and shook its massive head. With an exasperated grunt the injured creature lumbered off awkwardly as it tried to avoid putting weight on its injured hind leg. After a solid three minutes the bedraggled party began to emerge from beneath the surrounding brush.

Venus looked around trying to locate the others as she climbed atop a fallen tree. As she called out to each of them, one by one her companions appeared from their hiding places. One person, however, did not answer her call. Kala was missing.

"Damn it, Mikey, I was counting on you to catch up with her!" Leo complained as he brushed leaves and soil from his body.

"I'm sorry, Leo, but that lady is hella fast! I don't blame her, after seeing that...whatever it was! I doubt she got very far though. This underbrush could slow anybody down, especially someone who's tied up like she is." Michelangelo began tossing branches and uprooted shrubbery as he called out to Kala. He hoped she wasn't injured or worse. She was still needed as a guide in this foreign dimension. The others joined in the search with that same thought in mind. Judging from the expressions on the others' faces, Mikey hoped that he would be the one to find her first for her sake.

It didn't take Mike long to locate Kala about a hundred feet away. She was such a pitiful sight whimpering and struggling in a tangle of rope and thick vines. When Venus caught up with them she used her kusarigama to cut the vines and the rope. It had to be done since the rope and vines had become so entangled.

"Oh...thank you so much. I thought I'd never get out of that mess!" Kala made a move to shake Venus' hand but the female mutant stepped back with a disapproving glare.

"I didn't free you out of kindness, but out of necessity. If you attempt to escape us before serving your purpose I promise you will have this lodged in your body." She held her weapon before the Neutrino's face causing Kala to shrink back in fear. By now Leonardo and Usagi had caught up with them. Leo made a quick assessment of everyone's condition. They all had some minor scrapes and bruises, but they were otherwise all right. After the brief head count Leo looked to the Neutrino to serve her purpose.

"Kala, where are we exactly?"

"Well, if my memory serves me correctly, this is a forest that borders Lord Draxx's property. I'm not sure who it belongs to, but I do know neither my master nor his pet ever go deep into these woods."

"So, you're not familiar to this area?"

"Afraid not, sir," Kala replied as she rubbed her wrist which were swollen from rope burn. Leo definitely didn't want to hear that coming from Kala. They needed to find Aphrodite and Milan as quickly as possible, but since Kala had limited knowledge of the area none of them had any idea where to start. As the Hamato Clan leader racked his brain for options he was interrupted by a terrified yelp. He felt something heavy hit him in the side then fall on his foot. When he looked down he saw something black, shiny, and long run across his foot and scuttle beneath the underbrush. Clearly startled, Leo tried to figure out what the hell that thing was but was soon distracted by a loud outburst of laughter. He looked to his left to see Michelangelo doubled over with mirth. At the same time a flustered looking Usagi appeared to be avoiding eye contact with the others.

"Oh man, Usagi-san! You should have seen the look on your face! Ha! And I thought I had a girlie scream!"

"Mikey!" Leo's condescending frown was enough to get the youngest Hamato brother to stifle his laughter.

"Uh...my apologies, Usagi-san. Didn't mean any disrespect. Just my way of coping with the stress. Are we cool?" With a subtle smile the young ninja offered a hand of friendship.

"Ano...eh, yes, Michelangelo-san, we are...cool." Usagi accepted the apology with a curt bow and a quick scan of the area for any more giant millipedes. "Leonardo-san, what is our next plan of action?"

"How about letting me go home?" Kala inquired with a just a hint of hope in her voice. Leonardo's answer came in a glare that asked why she had the audacity to think she had any say in the matter. "Oh, come on! I gave you the runes for the red gate and got you here. The least you could do is let me check on my brother."

Kala could tell she had gone too far when she saw Leo head towards her, so she hid behind Michelangelo. The blue masked mutant gently pushed his brother aside and took hold of the retreating Neutrino's collar.

"You have a few things to do before we let you go. We don't know where to find this red gate of yours and we don't know how to utilize the runes. I'm going to tell you this one last time. Until we find our children and get them out of here safely you are staying in our custody, got it?" A feeble nod of defeat was all Kala gave in response. "Now to figure out a way to track the kids down. Any suggestions?" This time Kala had sense enough to keep quiet. For a few moments it seemed that everyone was clueless about what to do, until the seed of a thought sprouted in the mind of a certain female turtle.

"I have an idea...but I'm not sure if it will work."

"What is it Mei-chan?"

Venus reached into her weapon pouch and pulled out a small, shiny object. Just the sight of this precious trinket caused an aching in her heart.

"My ba-ba taught me that everything and everyone has chi, and that chi can interact like chemicals. Also, if a person has particularly strong chi it can permeate anything closely associated with that person, such as clothing, weapons, or..." Venus slowly opened her hand to reveal a purple butterfly hair clip, glittering wings spread wide. "...inanimate objects. I know for a fact that of all of our children Aphrodite has the strongest chi. I believe there is a chance that this precious thing of hers can lead us to Lovie and Moondoggie." Venus took out a paper talisman and laid it flat on the palm of her hand. She then sat the butterfly clip on the talisman and recited a brief spell in Mandarin. The young mother's breath caught in her throat as the clip slowly turned northeast. She looked to Leonardo before heading in that direction.

"Well, this is indeed a start," Leo muttered as he followed his mate. Michelangelo placed a hand on the small of Kala's back and nudged her forward as he whispered in her ear.

"Just stick close to me and you'll be ok. And keep cooperating, cuz you really, really don't want to be on Leo's shit list." Kala simply nodded, which was her way of indicating she understood what Mike was getting at. The orange masked ninja couldn't help but smile at the thought of finally seeing his baby boy, hopefully safe and sound. Usagi, still on the alert since they arrived in this foreign dimension, held a hand close to his katana, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. He felt the sooner they got out of Dimension X the better.

The party of five wasn't the only ones on high alert. They were unaware of the eyes watching their every move from the shadows. They were about to step into someone else's territory, and one false step could lead to a whole heap of trouble.

Next Chapter: Somebody thinks the Turtles and company had better have a good reason for being in their forest. Also Kala sheds some light on Lord Draxx's beast.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The search for the two missing turtle children was making progress, thanks to Venus and her chi-powered tracking system. Her skills as a mystic was one of the main reasons Leo decided, with much thought and a heavy heart, that Venus would be a better candidate for the current mission. Donatello had his strengths, but dealing with the mystical such as runes and spells was more Venus' specialty. Leonardo wanted his brother to join them also. Aphrodite was Donnie's little girl after all. On the other hand it seemed more feasible and productive for Donnie to stay behind with Raphael to watch over and comfort the rest of the children. It had troubled the ninja clan leader when he informed his brother that he would be staying behind and Don didn't respond very well. He looked so disappointed, and even suggested an alternative. Leo was open to suggestions, but in the end his original decision stood. Leo was relieved to a point that his decision appeared to be a good one so far.

He was also glad he brought Michelangelo on this mission. Although he had the annoying habit of being a bit too distracting and playful at times, on the positive side Mikey had a gift for getting difficult people to let their guard down. Leonardo noticed Kala would only strike up a conversation with his youngest sibling and didn't seem to be so nervous around Mike as she was around himself. Perhaps his sunny disposition (well, sunny compared to the rest of the rescue party) was what caused her to relax. Leo listened discretely to their conversation and smirked inwardly. Michelangelo seemed like he was befriending the Neutrino, but Leonardo knew better. This was Mikey's most effective interrogation technique. He was easily extracting vital information from her and she didn't even realize it. Michelangelo may not be techno savvy like Don, or a skilled strategist like Leo, but he was excellent at gathering information. He was so smooth that he could have an opponent spilling their guts without realizing what was going on. The eldest Hamato brother listened as Mikey worked his charming magic.

"Hey, Kala, the big ugly beast was like nothing I've never seen before! What the hell is it anyway?"

"My master's pet? Oh, that is the baku." Kala glanced back at the sound of scoffing from the rear.

"That in no way is a baku! Baku are benevolent creatures nowhere near that size!" Usagi punctuated his remark with a swing of his katana, chopping down some underbrush. He wasn't taking any chances with those giant millipedes.

"From your description I can tell that Lord Draxx didn't get this baku from your world. Believe me, I wish he had," Kala responded with sadness on the fringes of her frazzled tone. Mike gauged her mood and wanted to keep her talking, so he continued with his questions.

"That thing seemed really pissed when we got here. Is it always like that or does it have to be provoked?"

"Lord Draxx does indeed provoke it...by starving it for days before sending hapless warriors to their doom." Leo frowned at her current statement and at the thought that without Kala's help those 'hapless warriors' would never have encountered the baku. "I know that you're thinking that I'm partly to blame for that, and I agree. I'm not happy about it, but I had to do something to protect my brother, Zack."

Usagi simply shook his head as he pushed past the Neutrino to walk at Leo's side. The samurai rabbit noticed his friend had a certain expression on his face that showed he was on high alert. It was subtle, but noticeable since they had become so close.

"Leonardo-san, what is it?" Usagi whispered as he continued to clear away brush.

"There's someone else nearby. Someone of much higher intelligence than a mere wild animal." Leo had been spotting subtle signs here and there in the brush and on the plant life that didn't appear to be random. It was as if someone was deliberately trying to hide their tracks and their presence. Usagi himself noted a distinct metallic scent in the air that was growing in intensity as they moved forward. "I smell it too. It's like the scent of someone using heavy machinery."

The blue masked leader stopped in his tracks when something ahead caught his eye. He gently grasped Venus' arm causing her to pause and glance back at him. Soon the whole party had stopped to look at Leonardo for an explanation. Leo spotted a distortion in the plants on the path ahead of them. Although the current environment was strange to all present but Kala, something about that distortion seemed a little off. And the ozone-like scent coming from that area added to his suspicion. The next few seconds were a flurry of action.

Leo gave a silent signal for them to scatter, and at that same moment the ninjutsu master saw a flash, felt something buzz past his face, and heard a scream. As he and the others leaped off of the path Leonardo hurled several shuriken directly at the distortion. When they all heard the crackle of electricity, their eyes were drawn to a small shower of sparks coming from some bushes nearby. Now the Turtles has seen their fair share of bizarre sights, but what they saw next would definitely make the top twenty. The head of what appeared to be a human man appeared out of thin air and began to retreat further into the forest. Normally Leo would have been distracted by a disembodied head bobbing through the woods, but he was focused on neutralizing the threat.

As Leonardo pursued the bodiless, brown haired, bearded head he noticed more sparks below it. Moments later an actual body was revealed, giving the mutant ninja a much better view of his quarry. The possible human was wearing a black and silver, tight fitting suit that looked very familiar to Leo.

'That looks like...a Foot Tech uniform!' he thought as he aimed another shuriken at the man's upper body. As expected, Leonardo's aim was true and struck the fleeing man in his back around the right shoulder. As the man staggered into a nearby tree Leo caught up with him. The man cried out in pain as the mutant spun him around. Blood dripped from the injured man's fingertips as he tried to remove the shuriken from his shoulder. Leonardo showed no emotion as the wounded human answered his gaze with eyes full of terror.

"Are...you going to kill me?" the man asked as he clutched his bleeding hand to his chest.

"The fact that you're able to ask me that says a lot, don't you think?" When the man made a slight move to escape Leo drew his ninjato and held it mere millimeters from his throat. "I should have said that just because I haven't killed you doesn't mean it's not a possibility. Let me put it this way. If you cooperate and answer all of my questions truthfully you're chances of survival will increase." The man settled back to the ground with a gulp. By now the others had caught up with Leo. Usagi had his weapon drawn and Venus was close behind him. A maskless Michelangelo brought up the rear carrying Kala. His orange, bloodstained bandanna was wrapped around the Neutrino's left thigh.

Leo made a mental note of Kala's injury before beginning his interrogation.

"First question: Who are you?" With a loud curse the man hung his head.

"Why did you have to ask a question I don't have the answer to?" Leo cocked an eye ridge at the man's response. "Look, I don't remember what my name is, how I got here, or even how long I've been here. All I know is that I've been doing what I can to survive and keep trespassers out of my territory!"

"Why? Is there a lack of resources here?" From the look of the forest it seemed pretty lush and bountiful.

"No! It's because trespassers like you attract that...that...MONSTER! I haven't allowed anybody to blow my cover and get me eaten all this time, so I'm not going to start now! Augh! Damn it! Could somebody please take this thing outta my shoulder?" Leo shook his head out of pity and annoyance as he sheathed his ninjato and knelt next to the man. The human braced himself as the mutant turtle yanked the offending object from his flesh. A fresh string of curses now spewed forth from his lips. "Whew! Thank you!"

"Don't thank me yet. I still have some more questions for you. Where did you get that Foot Tech uniform?"

"Say what? What the hell is Foot Tech?"

Leo was trying very hard to hold his peace and be patient with the obviously psychologically damaged human, but it was quite a feat.

"The Foot is a ninja clan that expanded into an international syndicate based in Japan. They are currently most active in New York. Does that ring any bells for you?" The man stared blankly for a moment before answering.

"No, not really..." Leo growled in frustration as he grabbed the scraggly haired human by the collar.

"The head of the Foot is a woman named Oroku Karai!" The moment Leo spoke that name it was as if the lights were switched on in the man's brain and the cobwebs were swept away from his long shelved memories. In his mind's eye he could see a raven haired woman with striking beauty and piercing green eyes. His suppressed feelings of longing flooded into his heart causing his chest to ache. He swallowed hard before quietly uttering a word that hadn't passed his lips for God only knows how long.

"Mistress..."

"What did you say?" Leo asked taken aback as he processed that one word spoken by the disturbed man. By now Michelangelo was kneeling on the other side of the man as Venus tended to the wounded Kala. The man was startled out of his hazy recollection by the presence of another reptilian face. He leaned as far back into the tree as he could as Mikey brought his face uncomfortably close to his. The presently maskless mutant stared the human down for a solid ten seconds before having a sudden outburst.

"Dude! I think this is guy is Dr. Chaplin!" Leo shot his brother a look, realizing they were both thinking the same thing. "I mean he looks like shit now with that crazy hair and fucked up beard, but I'd recognize that nerdy, whiny voice anywhere!" The poor human was too confused right now to be insulted. Somehow these strange creatures seemed to know something about him that even he couldn't remember. But he did have to admit he did remember that woman, and that memory triggered strong feelings in him. Right now he was trying to figure out just what those feelings were. Reverence? Respect? Possibly love? He wasn't too sure, and he was getting a headache from thinking about it too hard. Leonardo's gentle tap on his cheek got his attention.

"Listen to me. We think we know who you are. You're the only one I know of who referred to Karai that way. You're Dr. Alan Chaplin."

"Well...that sounds familiar...I think. Tell me, am I a medical doctor?" It was a serious question, but somehow it got a small chuckle out of Leonardo.

"No, you're a bio-engineer. In fact you're the one who invented the tech suit you're wearing."

"Really? You seem to know a lot about me. Any idea how I got here?"

"Honestly I have no idea. In fact I was about to ask _you_ that question. I'm sorry I can't help you get answers in that case, but maybe you can help us with something." Something didn't sit right with Chaplin, but he couldn't put a finger on what it was.

"Why...should I help or even trust you?"

"Believe me, the fact the Leonardo-san let you live after you attacked us speaks volumes," Usagi interjected, startling the scientist.

"Who the hell and what the hell are you?"

"Never mind that!" Chaplin hissed in pain when Leo squeezed his injured shoulder. "You're pretty familiar with this territory, right?"

"I know it like the back of my hand. Why do you ask?" the human responded, eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"Listen, we don't have time to waste! We're looking for some very important people here, and it's very likely they are in danger. We have to find them quickly, so have you seen anyone who looks like me around here lately?"

Chaplin grew silent as he racked his befuddled brain for any sightings of anything out of the ordinary. That was beyond frustrating because everything was out of the ordinary to him it this crazy dimension.

"Come to think of it, I did see some people around here the other day. They looked a little small, like they could be children. They were running away from that monster, so I didn't hang around to investigate. As long as they didn't lead that thing in my direction I didn't care who they were."

Hearing that caused everyone, including Kala, to experience just a glimmer of hope among them. That's when Leonardo looked the scientist dead in the eyes and asked him a very important question.

"Which way did they run, Chaplin?" The man pointed in the direction towards the main trail the search party had been traveling on.

"I'd say they were a good fifty yards away from my shelter heading away from the area, thank goodness. Where they went after that I don't know." He also didn't care, but he didn't dare say it out loud. Venus smiled upon hearing that information for that indicated to her that her chi-tracking spell was working.

"Thank you, Dr. Chaplin." Leonardo quickly stood to his feet giving the human a curt bow. He choked back the pain he felt when Michelangelo gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Appreciate it, Chapstick! Good luck with uh...everything."

Before Chaplin could say 'You're welcome' the search party vanished in several clouds of acrid smoke. After a brief coughing fit the scientist looked around and slumped his shoulders in disappointment.

"Well, damn it, they didn't even tell me their names. What a bunch of rude assholes!" As he struggled to stand and brushed himself off he felt a wave of unexpected sadness. After some thought he realized that those strange people may be the only key to getting back to his beloved mistress.

Next Chapter: Raph and Don help the kids cope back in New York while Lovie and Moondoggie try not to give up hope of ever seeing their family again.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Early one autumn morning beneath the Manhattan streets a lone figure prepared for a busy day. Donatello leaned back in his office chair as the tools of his trade warmed up for the work ahead. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath and he pondered the present situation of his family. Four of the six children were sleeping in Raphael's room. They were all huddled together as if any of them would be snatched away unless they stuck together, even in their sleep. All present in their underground lair were distraught over their missing family members, but it took a different kind of toll on the children. Their whole sense of security and trust was shattered. Who could they count on to protect them if they couldn't rely on their parents?

With a gruff sigh Donatello brushed a hand over his face before donning his headset. Understandably, he couldn't get thoughts of his baby girl out his mind. Was she all right? Was she in a safe place? Was she hungry and scared? Or, worst of all, was she dead? The young father didn't want to entertain that thought, but he knew it was hovering at the fringes of his thoughts. He swallowed hard as his monitor lit up with his first incoming call for the day.

"Tech support. This is Don speaking. How may I help you today?"

Gidget couldn't sleep. One would think that after all the crying she did the past couple days she would be exhausted, but that wasn't the case. As quietly as she could she climbed out of bed, being careful not to jostle her uncle Raph and the other kids. She shuffled into the kitchen to find something to occupy her troubled mind. She remembered how her father would cook to help her relax. Memories of her times with Mikey and Milan in the farmhouse kitchen rippled through her mind as she rummaged through the refrigerator for breakfast ingredients. Gidget gulped down a lump in her throat as she remembered all the fun she had whipping up delicious dishes with her daddy before the cock crowed. She put a step stool at the foot of the counter and got busy prepping the omelets.

She pulled out a carton of a half-dozen eggs, some shredded cheese, diced onions, peppers, and tomatoes and set the ingredients on the counter. As she got a mixing bowl from a lower cabinet she missed their rooster, Foghorn, and their two hens, Millie and Dutchess. She liked to chase them and tease them now and then, but her mother would always scold her for it. She cracked the eggs into the bowl one by one until her vision became so blurred it was as if she were looking through a waterfall. She limply tossed the eggshells into a waste bin then looked for a whisk in the utensil drawer.

It was pretty much quiet in the kitchen except for the sound of the young mutant beating the eggs and her intermittent sniffles. She thought about how she would tease Aphrodite and call her a crybaby as they grew up. Gidget used to think that was so funny. Now it was Gidget's time for tears and there was nothing funny about that at all. She missed her sister-cousin, her twin brother, and her parents so much.

"When you come home, Dites, I'm gonna tell you I'm sorry for being so mean..." Gidget mumbled as she transformed the eggs into a swirling, yellow-orange mass. She paused to stare into the bowl as if she were gazing into a crystal ball. "Maybe if I wish hard enough you'll all come back safe..." Gidget was snapped out of her funk when she heard someone call to her. She turned to see her uncle, Raphael, standing in the kitchen doorway. He was maskless, and obviously grumpy and irritable.

"Gidge, what ya tryin' ta do? Wake the dead?" Raph grumbled as he shuffled over to his niece.

"I'm making omelets," the child explained halfheartedly. Gidget didn't think she had been making that much noise, but apparently it was enough to wake up her uncle. "Didn't mean to wake you."

"S'okay, sweetheart. Needed to get up anyway." Raph scanned the counter top and saw that Gidget had just about everything she needed to make the meal. He reached over the girl to pull out a wrought iron skillet from the cabinet. Raphael smiled as he turned the skillet in his hand. It was Mikey's pride and joy and had been in the family for years. Mike had salvaged it himself in the days of their youth living with Splinter in the sewers. Raph knew that if his youngest sibling was here right now Mikey would fuss at him for even touching his favorite cooking utensil. In a way Raphael found it an honor and a privilege to cook with Big Bertha with Mikey's daughter. With a soft chuckle he fired up the stove top and set the skillet on the flames. After pouring some vegetable oil into the pan he glanced over at his niece. She had a look of uncertainty and wariness as she fidgeted by the counter. "Hey Gidge, what ya just standin' there for? Let's make some omelets!"

Right then a smile bright enough to light the whole sewer lair burst forth on Gidget's face as she brought the bowl of beaten eggs to Raphael. Within minutes the savory scent of food was wafting throughout their underground dwelling. The smell was so deliciously distracting that Donatello decided to take a break from work. He shut down his workstation and removed his headset so he could go investigate the kitchen. By the time he got there Gidget had plated the omelets and she and Raph were setting the food on the table. To everyone's surprise Ronnie and Rowdy were actually helping set the table.

"You two must be really hungry!" Don teased as he settled into a dining chair.

"Damn straight!" Veronica chimed as she plopped down in a chair herself.

"Watch yer mouth, little girl," her father scolded as he plucked her in the back of the head.

Within seconds all six turtles were seated at the dining table. Rowan was the first to comment on the quality of the meal.

"This is pretty good! Not as good as uncle Mikey's, but still good!" Rowan continued eating not realizing that what he meant to be a compliment had struck a sensitive chord for Gidget. She dropped her fork and stared at her half eaten omelet for a moment before jumping up from the table and leaving the dining area. Donatello cursed under his breath as he followed the distressed child to another area of the lair. The concerned uncle found Gidget slouching on the old weathered and worn couch in the living room. When he saw his niece wipe the back of her hand across her face he knew she was doing her best to wipe away all evidence of tears. It wasn't working though. The moise trails on her cheeks were a dead give away. Don sat next to the child and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. He couldn't think of a word to say to calm the youngster's fears. He was feeling pretty out of sorts himself. So he simply hugged her close. For a moment Gidget pressed her face against Donatello's plastron before glancing up at his face. She noted his expression and dropped her head once again.

"Uncle Donnie...I'm so sorry."

"For what, Gidge? You have nothing to apologize for."

"It's my fault that Lovie and Moondoggie disappeared. I shoulda listened to ooji-san and not touched anything. You probably hate me for what I did..." Her voice trailed off as she was overcome with racking sobs. Donatello quickly sat her up and looked her straight in the eyes. That was enough to startle her out of her weeping.

"Gidge, you listen to me. Get that crazy thought out of your head that it's your fault! I don't blame you and I definitely don't hate you! What happened was an accident, and if it wasn't for Kala setting that trap none of this would have ever happened. Now you be strong and hold your head up until your mom, dad, and uncle bring Dites and Milan back."

"You...really think they are coming back?"

"Of course I do! They're going to do whatever it takes to get home, because that is the Hamato way! We never give up, so don't you give up, ok?"

"Oh...ok, Uncle Donnie. I'm gonna stop being such a crybaby and be strong! I know my daddy wouldn't want to come home to see me looking all sad. I'm going to save him my big, pretty smile!"

Having said that Gidget wiped away the vestiges of her tears and put on a smile that she knew would make her daddy proud.

"Are you going to save a smile for Dites, Uncle Donnie?"

"That and a big hug, too. Now let's go finish that delicious breakfast you made so it won't go to waste."

"Ok!" Donatello smiled as Gidget skipped off to the dining area. Once she was out of sight his smile was replaced with a slight frown. He really wanted to cheer up Gidget but at the same time he hated giving her possibly false information. The techno-turtle honestly had no idea if their other family members would ever make it back.

Meanwhile, in Dimension X, the search party had run into a bit of a problem. The suns were setting. The first sun had already dipped below the horizon and it's binary partner was about to follow suit. This was a major problem because there was no shelter in sight and they had yet to find the missing turtle children. On top of all of that, their not so willing guide was injured, which was slowing them down tremendously.

"Leonardo, what should we do?" Venus inquired as she looked to the clan leader to make a quick yet wise decision.

"Looks like we have no choice but to set up camp." Leo noted the wary expression in the eyes of his mate as he instructed Michaelangelo and Usagi to help him clear away some brush. Venus sat next to the wounded Neutrino and glanced at her injured leg. Venus could tell the bleeding had stopped since the blood of Mikey's makeshift bandage was dry. Venus also noticed that Kala was squirming around a lot and staring vacantly into the distance every now and then.

"You look as if something is troubling you." Kala looked surprised as if she hadn't been aware of Venus' presence until the moment the female mutant spoke.

"I'm worried about my brother. If I don't report back to Lord Draxx soon he might do something awful to my brother, Zack."

"As much as I sympathize with your situation, we can't allow you to report to your Lord just yet. That would most likely put our search for the children in jeopardy." Any bit of hope of escape for Kala melted away at Venus' words. Dealing with a clan of pissed off ninja was not on her bucket list. Kala could only hope that once they found what they were looking for her part in all of this would be over. She felt terrible that the children got caught up in all this, but her thoughts were constantly drawn to her brother.

Before the last of sunlight was gone Leonardo assigned night watch shifts. Leo and Venus were on the first shift. Venus was relieved that she was on the first shift because she knew she couldn't sleep with all the unfamiliar sounds, sights and scents surrounding them. She couldn't take her eyes off of what appeared to be glowing seed pods floating in the air. After watching a few of them closely as they floated near her face she realized that the pods were not being moved by a breeze, but under their own power. When a few of the objects hovered near her skin she felt small puffs of air as they propelled themselves along. Venus found the creatures bizarre, beautiful, and creepy all rolled into one.

Leonardo stood watch near the camp site alert to any movements and sounds coming from the shadows, which he was taking full advantage of to hide his own presence. Other than the fluffy pod creatures, everything seemed pretty quiet. That is until he saw something a little odd going on about fifty yards away. A group of pod creatures suddenly vanished in midair. Leo wondered if they were like fireflies and could turn off their glow. However, none of the other pod creatures when behaving that way, so he decided to observe a little longer. Once again a cluster of pods disappeared, this time from 30 yards away. When it happened again from ten yards away Leo silently positioned himself in a defensive stance. He figured something, perhaps a predator, was eating the pods but Leo was now on high alert just in case. Now he could actually see a shadowy figure moving below the floating creatures. He could also hear a noise. It was soft and subtle like...someone mumbling under their breath. When the ninja heard the words 'Now I gotcha!' he knew without a doubt he was dealing with something more sophisticated than a simple predatory wild animal.

Leo slowly rose to his feet wile he gripped the hilt of one of his ninjato. The person was now only about five yards away. He could tell they were rather short in stature, coming up about to his waist from what he could determine from that distance. When the person paused and for a moment Leo saw the flash of a pair of amber eyes. Leo was prepared to strike when he heard the voice more clearly now.

"Hello? Somebody there?" Leonardo was jarred by the soft and childlike tone of the voice. The person looked warily from side to side then took a few steps forward. The figure was now almost right on top of Leo, who had been crouching beside a tree. By now the noise had gotten Venus' attention and she was crouched in a defensive stance just a few feet behind Leonardo. A split second before Leo made a decision where or not to attack both he and Venus heard another voice whisper

"Hey, you think we caught enough?" Another childlike voice, and this one sounding quite familiar.

"I think so. We better get back before ji-ji figures out that we're gone." Leo was shocked and overjoyed when that third voice sounded extremely familiar to him also. The ninja master took a stab in the dark, so to speak, and quietly called out to the shadows.

"Milan? Aphrodite? Is that you?" For just a moment it was as if all of the oxygen was sucked out of the immediate atmosphere as all once again grew silent. Leo then heard a clinking sound as Venus stepped up beside him. The two adults watched as a small, glowing lantern came into view revealing a small, round, freckled green face. Leonardo, Venus, and the child all stood there for a few seconds in stunned shock until another face joined the clearly surprised child. This other face had one hazel eye and one amber eye. The second child shattered the silence with a joyful squeal as she ran toward Venus.

"Mami! Ooji-san! You came! You really came!" Venus almost couldn't believe it as she wrapped her arms around Aphrodite. She was totally speechless as tears of joy began to flow. Sounds of joyous laughter could be heard as Leonardo scooped up Milan, who now had his arms wrapped around his uncle's neck. The commotion caused quite a stir in the camp and had awakened everyone else.

"What the hell is going on here?" a sleepy and slightly grouchy Michaelangelo grumbled as he stood from his resting spot. He got his answer when his baby boy ran up and hugged him about the waist. "What the...? Milan? Is that you? Hey, am I dreaming?" The turtle boy just laughed as he hugged his father even tighter. By now everyone was awake and rejoicing in the reunion. The children explained how they got where they were as the adults took in the information.

"We thought that scary baku was going to eat us but Rin helped us get to a safe place. Hey, Rin! Come on over and meet our family!" Lovie's request was met with silence. "Rin, you there? I wonder where she went? Oh well. Anyway, we were out here catching ponpons to light our way down in the tunnels. We got plenty, so we better head back, right Milan?" Her brother-cousin nodded in happy agreement. Michelangelo picked up Kala, who was looking a bit miserable, and followed the others, who were following Lovie and Moondoggie.

"When we get where we're going I'm going to redress your wound, ok?"

"Oh...uh, thank you."

"No prob."

"Michelangelo? I'm so glad you and the children found each other."

"Yeah, it's great, isn't it? Now we can focus on getting everybody where they need to be, which is back home."

"Yeah..." Kala had a hint of a smile as she realized the sooner the Hamatos got home the sooner she could help her endangered brother.

Next Chapter: The adults are in for a big surprise down in the tunnels. Also, Rin is unhappy, but why?


End file.
